Hello, Goodbye
by AKA DD
Summary: I decided to write the DA S2 episode Hello, Goodbye as a story. Included are the thoughts that the characters must have been thinking throughout the episode. It's a step into AU, but 90 percent of it sticks with original plot and dialogue.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

HELLO, GOODBYE

**CHAPTER 1**

Joshua scratched his head furiously. "Damn fleas." he mumbled. He had to resist the urge to sit on his ass and scratch behind his ears with his foot. He wasn't that much of a dog. But he and "Father's" house had been overrun by fleas in the last few days. He scratched some more, making small growling noises of satisfaction. Then he focused back on the task at hand. "Depress tab to activate and immediately leave area." he read out loud. _Depress tab?_ He looked the can of Flea Bomb over and decided that he was supposed to press the button on the top.

He pressed it and waited.

Nothing happened.

He brought his face right over the can to make sure he had depressed the right tab, and all of a sudden a spray of toxic fumes hit him square in the face. "Aaargh!" he cried out in surprise. Then swatting at his face and scratching, he ran out of the room.

Max was in the library, standing on a chair as if that would keep her away from the fleas. She was scratching her leg, so it wasn't working. She had set up two more cans of Flea Bomb, one in the library, the other in the kitchen. She waited as Joshua came running from the basement.

Most people would have recoiled from seeing Joshua: it wasn't the 6'5 height, or the long scraggly hair, or the way that he talked. It was the fact that Joshua was a hybrid man-dog experiment from Manticore. They had left a little too much dog in his DNA cocktail, so he had a slightly rounded dog nose, a cleft mouth that revealed sharp canine teeth, and sort of thick leathery skin—like a dog without its fur. But what most people miss, and what Max had come to love about him, were his eyes. They were blue and kind, and very human. This time, those eyes were slightly panicked. The fleas had really started to get to him.

"Did you set it off?" Max called out, referring to the can in the basement.

"Yeah."

"Good, now let's do these other ones and get out of here before these little buggers eat us alive," she called out, gesturing to the one in the kitchen.

Joshua bounded over to the other can, "That's the plan!"

Positioning themselves in front of the cans, with their fingers poised over the tabs, Max called out instructions. "Okay, hold your breath. On three."

"One, two, three!" They simultaneously sucked in a huge breath and then depressed the tabs.

Two geysers of anti-flea fumes erupted from the cans. Max and Joshua ran for the door.

On the front porch, they paused to catch their breaths. "Thanks for bringing the bombs," said Joshua, as he situated himself amongst some of the old boxes on the porch.

"No problem. You're gonna have to stay out of there for a couple of hours." she replied.

"Yeah, stay out here with my little fella," Joshua said excitedly. If he had a tail, he would have wagged it furiously.

Max looked around guiltily. "Oh, ah…um…actually, I gotta bounce. I'm meeting Logan at Crash."

Joshua looked crestfallen. "Oh."

Max reached over and patted his lap. "I wish you could come, you know that." she said softly, trying to comfort him. She knew how terrible it must be for him to have to be stuck in this old house all day, hiding out, laying low, staying out of sight. Because people just wouldn't understand. They couldn't accept Joshua.

"Maybe tomorrow I can get some time off from work, and we can hang." she suggested.

Joshua had resumed to his scratching, and mumbled an, "Okay."

Max opened her backpack and pulled out a plastic bottle. "I got you some flea powder. Douse yourself with it before you get back in there, or else you'll be right back where you started."

Joshua took the small bottle from her. Max smiled at him and gathered her stuff to leave.

"Okay, good night." She said.

"Okay, bye."

Then he could hear the roar of her motorcycle, and she was gone.

He contemplated the flea powder in his hands. Then grunting, he managed to pry the lid open, and doused himself with it until he was white. Aaaah….the powder was soothing to the tiny little itches all over his body.

Little Fella was always good to him. He felt sad that he couldn't always be with her. But people weren't always as nice or kind as his Little Fella. They could be mean and cruel, and dangerous about things they couldn't understand. He understood that. Only too well. His brother, Isaac's grave was just in the backyard. He had been treated abominably by humans in Manticore. And when they were finally free, he had retaliated against the Sector Guards. But because of that, Isaac had become a killer, and ultimately a hunted animal. Joshua stopped his train of thought. People were always afraid of what they don't understand.

CHAPTER 2

Max parked her baby, a beautiful black Ninja motorcycle, and threaded her way into Crash. Crash was a popular hang-out spot for Max and her friends. They went there after work to drink beer, play pool, dance, and mostly go on about how things were at work, and bitch about the state that the world was in.

Tonight, Max had a date with Logan. She had requested some quality time with him, and figuring that she would need to actually have to pry him away from his precious computers if they met up at the Penthouse, she had asked him to meet her at Crash instead.

She spotted Logan immediately. He stood out like a sore thumb in the place. Crash was often full of loud young punks, most of them minimum-wage employees. But Logan Cale had been born a socialite. He had been born into some money, and that money his family had held onto after the Pulse. It wasn't until Eyes Only had exposed the corruption behind Cale Enterprises that Logan had joined the ranks of the impoverished. The fact that Logan himself was Eyes Only hadn't deterred him from cutting himself off from his main source of funding—one of the complexities about Logan, to be sure. But also one of the reasons why Max truly admired him.

Thus, sitting in the middle of Crash wearing a nice collared shirt, a pair of khakis, and his scholarly glasses, made him easy to pick out in the crowd. That, and the fact that Max would always be able to spot Logan's slightly ruffled blond hair and slightly scruffy, unshaven face. She smiled fondly at the thought.

But when she got closer, Max saw something that made her frown. Logan was busy scribbling away on a small piece of napkin. Working, no doubt.

"What'chu up to?" she asked, keeping her tone light and casual.

Logan looked up, and Max couldn't keep her ire. Oh, those blue eyes. Those sincere, honest, straightforward eyes that were the feature of every Eyes Only broadcast. He gave her one of his usual quizzical smiles. "Oh, just writing down some thoughts floating around in my head. Couldn't find any paper, so got a few napkins to write on." he replied.

Max sat across the tiny round table from Logan. Being careful not to touch him, she reached over for the pitcher of beer and poured herself a glass. "What thoughts?" she asked.

"I'd been thinking about Ames White and his breeding cult," he started, his voice low. Max frowned at him. _How romantic. _She was not happy with this turn in the conversation. "Here? You want to talk about that here?" she asked incredulously.

Logan glanced around furtively. Max couldn't help it. One side of her mouth lifted in a half-smile. Logan with his tousled hair, scruffy beard, glasses and unmistakable air of academia, looked so cute trying to be mysterious. Incongruous, but definitely cute.

"Well, in this place, no one's bound to notice." he replied. "Anyway, I keep wondering if there is a more tangible connection between his group and Manticore." he continued, determined to broach the subject.

Max sighed heavily. That was the thing about Logan. He was always so doggedly determined. Once he caught scent of something, he didn't let go until he'd found the source. It was one of the reasons why she admired him. But not tonight. It was exasperating tonight.

"Hey, let me see that scar that you got again," he said. He made a motion as if he was going to reach over and grab her hand. Max snatched her hand away lightning quick. Sometimes, the man was too absent-minded for his own good.

Several months ago, Max had escaped from Manticore for the second time. But unbeknownst to her, she had actually been allowed to escape, so that she would lead Manticore directly to Eyes Only. In this particular case, Logan Cale. She had been injected with a particular virus that was targeted specifically to Logan's DNA sequence. She had inadvertently given him the kiss of death. It was lucky that she had managed to retrieve the antidote and save his life. But any hope of ever touching Logan again had been erased. She was still the carrier for the Kill Logan Cale virus.

Max glared warningly at Logan. "Will you watch what you're doing?" She glowered at him, but pulled back her sleeve and took off her bike gloves anyway. "Why did you want to see this anyway?" she asked.

"Just to document what it looks like. With your rapid healing abilities, this scar is fading fast," he said, while making a small sketch of the scar. It was that of two snakes intertwined about a staff. Personally, Max thought it was a cool-looking scar—with the exception of it being intended to have killed her. It looked like strands of DNA intertwined together in two-dimensional form.

"It looks like a modified version of Caduceus' symbol," started Logan. "It's usually wrapped around the staff of Hermes. This scar is missing the wings that at the top of the scar that connects it to Hermes."

"Mmm-hmm," Max just smiled and nodded along. But she was quickly getting just a little bit irritated about the way the evening was taking a nosedive. She needed to lighten the mood. She pouted at Logan prettily, "You know, all work and no play makes Logan a dull, dull boy."

Logan just looked at her in consternation. She was sure he was about to make some brilliantly logical argument about how he couldn't spare the time to have fun because the world was in dire need of saving, when she caught a glimpse of Alec. It was strange how she seemed to have developed an _Alec-dar_, a little internal radar that blipped every time Alec was nearby.

In this case, he had just gotten to the bar and was now walking over to speak with Asha. Max felt a stab of irritation directed at the blonde, blue-eyed girl. She seemed to be _everywhere_. First, all over Logan. Now, all over Alec. Not that she had any claim over Alec, she reminded herself. But Asha was a nuisance nonetheless.

Max grabbed the pitcher of beer that was sitting between herself and Logan and poured the remainder of the liquid into their glasses. She stood up, "Be right back," she called hastily over her shoulder, and threaded her way through Crash towards Alec.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

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Alec had approached Asha at the bar. He wasn't really in a very good mood. He didn't really know why. Maybe it was the sight of Max and Logan huddled cozily together in one of the tables. Or maybe it was that Asha was talking to another guy. Or maybe it was neither one. "Hey." he said as greeting, grabbing the stool next to hers.

"Hi." she replied, somewhat cautiously, not looking directly at him.

Alec had never been one to beat around the bushes. "Long time no see." he commented nonchalantly, but his green eyes were challenging her.

She licked her lips, a little nervously. "I guess so." she replied, nodding her head, but still not looking him in the eyes. Alec pushed a little bit more. He liked to cause a bit of a stir, dive in to the heart of things. "So, I take it, you've been avoiding me?"

Asha shook her head hastily. "No."

"Right. Of course not," he drawled sarcastically.

She finally looked at him directly. "But I gotta say, that I'm really glad that nothing happened between us that night," she admitted, referring to the almost-one-night-stand that they had. Asha had been so drunk that night that she had just fallen asleep as soon as her head had touched the arm of his couch.

"Yeah, me too." he replied quickly. This time, it was his turn to duck her gaze. He took a sip of his whiskey. Alec didn't know whether to be hurt or relieved by what she had just said. What had he expected anyway? A romantic interlude? Asha wasn't even the kind of girl that he was into. Maybe, in some sick way, he had chased her down because she had been in the Logan Cale fan club. What did they both see in him anyway? Why was he doing this to himself? Competing with a wheelchair-bound geek. This was so beneath him.

Asha looked relieved, but also a little disappointed. "Probably works for days, huh?"

Alec just looked at her blankly.

"Your whole, 'Time is short, gotta put your heart on the line; Baby, I want you' speech." she clarified, mockingly imitating his swagger.

Alec just shook his head, and chuckled a little bit. He saw where this was going. Asha wanted more than just his "Borrowed Time" speech. She was baiting him into saying that he had meant everything that he had said to her.

Too bad. Because he really didn't. At least not in the way she wanted.

He looked at her, putting on his cockiest grin, "Look, you don't wanna get involved with me," he said. Then because he wasn't in a good mood, he pushed the envelope even more. "I was made in a lab, y'know. I spent my formative years learning the fine art of assassination," he continued sarcastically. And on a more serious note, he added, "And there are guys out there looking to kill me…and I'm sure someday, they'll probably succeed."

Asha was looking at him like she knew what game he was playing. She shook her head in scorn. "Spare me the drama. You're just too scared to let go and actually care about someone."

Alec had to fight the sneer that was coming. She actually had the audacity to believe that she _knew_ him. He knew just how to put her in her place. He'd had years of practice. "Right, because last time I let go, somebody got caught in the crossfire and died." he replied flatly. Then he looked at her challengingly, a slight smirk on his handsome face. But there was a small tightening in his gut—every time he thought about Rachel, he felt it.

Asha was surprised by the thought that Alec may have actually cared about someone. Suddenly all soft and female and sympathetic. "Oh, I'm sorry…I didn't…" she stammered, suddenly feeling ashamed that she had tried to lecture him.

"Do yourself a favor, Asha, and leave me alone."

Asha blinked, taken aback by the coldness in Alec's voice. "Alec." she said softly, coaxingly. She tried to reach over and touch him.

But Alec leaned back, pulling away from her touch, and it was like a cold mask had fallen over his face. His eyes had gone hard, glittering like green emeralds. "Beat it." And after a second's pause, "Scram."

Then he turned away from her in obvious dismissal. Asha didn't know what to do. She just sat there staring at his profile for a second, before she stood up and left in an offended huff.

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Max reached Alec just as Asha left him. She had to sidestep the other girl, because Asha looked like she was so angry she was seeing red. She leaned over the counter, shoulder-to-shoulder with him, almost touching him. She never really did touch Alec unless it was to inflict some kind of pain on him. She wasn't sure why, just that her instincts were telling her that touching him wouldn't be such a good idea.

"Can I get another beer?" she called to the barkeep.

She glanced sideways at Alec, as he turned slightly to glance at her in acknowledgement. Alec was another X5, like her. Designed and bred at a government facility called Manticore. He was a genetically enhanced soldier: faster, stronger, more intelligent, more cunning, and more dangerous than your everyday variety of human being. The only difference was that Alec had been trained to become an assassin and go on solo missions. Max had been trained as a soldier within a unit, intended to become an officer in battle.

Therefore, Max played well with others. Alec preferred to go his own way, a little like a rogue lion.

He was also genetically enhanced in other ways. Like the fact that he was extremely good-looking, with his dark blond hair, bright green eyes, perfect face, perfect lips, and a generally perfect physique. Come to think of it, he was actually perfect all-around.

Except for his attitude. He was always getting into all kinds of trouble, because he was always _putting_ himself into all kinds of trouble. Like being transgenic and having an army of government lackeys hunting him down wasn't enough trouble already. He rarely thought of anyone else except for himself. He was cynical, mocking, and bitter on one part, and witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving on another. He was complex; a conundrum that didn't want to be solved. Max would only twist herself into a human-sized pretzel if she tried.

"So, what'd you do now?" she asked slightly amused, her head nodding in the general direction Asha had huffed and puffed away.

Alec smiled humorlessly and shook his head. "Why am I _always_ the bad guy with you, Max?" he asked.

Max shrugged, "Whatever." She rolled her eyes at him. "You wanna blow your shot with her, be my guest."

This time, Alec turned fully to face her. His expression was strangely solemn. "Oh, right, yeah. 'Cause I could be this charming, sweet guy…and score myself a really nice girlfriend, but unlike you, I'm actually trying to do the right thing."

Max was immediately on the defensive. She frowned at him, "And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"You think the only problem you and Logan have is some genetically engineered virus that'll kill the poor guy if you touch him?"

"Yeah, that takes the front seat." she replied sarcastically.

"Hmm." Was all he said. Then he turned his shoulder on her and nursed his drink.

Max didn't really understand what he was getting at. She was getting annoyed. She grabbed his shoulder to force him to look at her. "What is your problem?"

Alec looked at her intently. His bright green eyes clashing angrily with her chocolate brown ones. "Max, we don't belong with them. Okay? We're a _danger_ to them." he said softly, seriously.

She looked at him like he had just woken her up from a dream. Or like he had put into words her worst nightmares. And then her brown eyes clouded over, and Alec knew that she was retreating from reality. He had to pull her back into his point-of-view. "Max, when are you gonna finally see that?"

"No." she said it like she was using that word as a shield to deflect the words that Alec was throwing at her.

A look of disbelief crossed through Alec's perfect features. "Do you honestly believe that things with you and Logan would be perfect once you actually find a cure for that virus?" he asked incredulously. "That everything else in the world would just magically fall into place along with it?"

Max was getting angrier and more defensive by the second. Each of his verbal jabs was delivered like a physical blow. He could see the turmoil clouding her clear brown eyes. Her fists were clenched and she was leaning menacingly toward him, as if she could cow him with the threat of physical violence. But he knew better. He was winning this argument.

He leaned forward, too. Challenging her. They were face-to-face, so close that he could see golden specks in her brown eyes. "You don't belong with Logan." he whispered with such finality, that it was like he had physically slapped Max.

She snapped. "Me and Logan are none of your business!"

He couldn't believe how stubborn she was being. He frowned slightly. On second thought, yeah, he could. This was Max, after all, strong and stubborn to a fault. He was getting irritated by the direction this conversation was going. He shook his head, "Why don't you just open your eyes…"

"You're just jea—"

"Hey guys, what's going on?"

Max and Alec both momentarily froze, before looking guiltily at Logan. They had been so caught up in each other and in their argument, that they hadn't even notice him walk up to them, until he was practically breathing down their necks.

Max glanced hastily between Logan and Alec. "Nothing." she replied hastily.

Alec pursed his lips, as if he was going to say something more then shrugged, letting whatever it was go. He looked sharply at Max, before mumbling, "Yeah. Right. Nothing." He smiled tightly at Logan. Then he grabbed his drink and left them.

Logan was looking at Max. Her eyes followed Alec's progress across Crash. Her face was drawn, her eyes were disturbed. There was silence between them for a minute or so. Logan realized that Max was actually staring off into space, as if she was contemplating something.

"Max," he started. It always alarmed him how Alec could pique Max's emotions so much. One minute she was mad at Alec, the next she was worried about him, then in the next minute she couldn't stand him, then in the next she was griping about something he'd done…and it just went on and on. She really shouldn't think about Alec _that_ much.

Max snapped out of her reverie and looked at Logan. There was a slightly guilty look on her face. "I…I'm beat. I'm gonna…I'm gonna go." she said lamely. She tried to sidestep him. He stepped right in front of her, effectively blocking her path. Max had no choice but to stop. If there was one thing about this virus, it always stopped Max in her tracks.

"What was that all about?" he asked, working very hard to keep the jealousy and suspicion out of his voice.

Max glanced distractedly up at him. There was definitely something on her mind. Something Alec had said to her had gotten to her. "Umm…Nothing. I'm just—I'm just tired."

She tried to sidestep him again. Logan stood in front of her. Again Max had to stop. He was not done with this discussion. Things had looked a little too heated, too intense, between her and Alec. "That didn't look like nothing to me," he said, this time, not really able to keep the accusation from his tone.

Max just shook her head, still not looking him directly in the eye. "I have to go," she said softly. Then walked past him. This was not right. He could feel Max pulling emotionally away from him and blocking him out.

"Hey!" Logan was so angry that he actually reached over to physically restrain Max from leaving him.

He touched her.

Max gasped and pulled away as quickly as her enhanced reflexes could. But it still wasn't enough. Contact had been made.

She stared at him in dismay. It took a moment before the import of his actions hit him. All Logan could do was stare at his hands as if he could literally see the virus run their course up his arm and into the rest of him. Suddenly, everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. There were a few moment when he thought he could hear his heartbeats…or were they Max's? Then Max faded from his sight and he could feel his knees buckle. The last thing he heard was Max's cry, "Alec! Help me!"

Then Logan fell into a burning darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

**CHAPTER 3**

Max felt like she was walking around in a nightmare. All of her senses were either hypersensitive or deadened. One moment the lights were too bright, or the sounds around her too sharp. And in the next second, she couldn't move fast enough, or felt like she was hearing everything underwater. She felt so helpless, so out of her element.

At Crash, in her distress, she had called out for Alec, the only other person she trusted in moments of extreme pressure. Alec had come out nowhere, and caught Logan as he was falling. He had laid Logan gently on the floor, as he called for the paramedics.

All Max could do was stand there, stricken. Unsure. Uncertain of where she belonged during this disaster. Useless. She had not been encoded to be a stander-by at times like these. She couldn't even wipe the beads of sweat that had formed on Logan's forehead. Then she had been forced to watch through a glass window as doctors in the hospital tried vainly to stabilize Logan's condition. Hours later, he was still fading away, fast. And all she could do was watch. Watch him die.

"MAX!"

Dr. Shankar's voice broke through her depressing reverie. She snapped out of it. She was in the hospital, surrounded by very sick people, and very disheartened others, least of them were her and Logan.

Dr. Shankar approached Max, her brow furrowed slightly in concern, her black eyes sad. "Max, are you alright?"

Max just smiled tightly at Shankar. She was one of the few "contacts" for Eyes Only, and knew all about transgenics—and the fact that Max was one of them. Shankar was often someone that she and Logan could count on, so Max raised her eyes to the doctor, pleadingly. "Is he going to be okay?"

Shankar just smiled slightly. "We're doing everything that we can," she replied softly, not wanting to raise her hopes. Max hated those kinds of doctor answers. She wished that doctors would just promise that people were going to be okay. But she knew how dangerous those kinds of promises were. But still, it didn't stop her from wishing.

Or pleading. "Please don't let him die."

Shankar looked around quickly, and whispered: "As far as I can tell, this virus is a mutated strain of a bio-warfare agent called Zycinor." she stated softly. "There's no known cure."

There was a finality in her voice that drove a stake through Max's heart. She felt herself momentarily spiral downward, when she remembered something from Manticore.

"Manticore made us immune to all sorts of bio-chemical warfare bugs. I'm pretty sure this is one of them."

Shankar looked at her speculatively, but there was a dawning understanding in her dark eyes. "That could explain why you could be a carrier and not be infected."

Max was suddenly itching to jump into action. "So, what about a transfusion?" she asked hopefully.

Shankar shook her head, not understanding, "You'd only re-infect him."

Max shook her head. "No, not my blood. Another transgenic." she explained, getting excited.

"Well, I suppose it could work. The anti-bodies in the transgenic's blood could prevent further damage. It will stabilize his immune system enough to fight off the effects." she said, nodding as she began to contemplate the possibility. "Yes, we may have a shot here. He's only in the earlier stages of infection. We may have," she paused to glance at her watch, "about four hours before our window of opportunity closes, and Logan reaches critical point."

She saw the hope flare in Max's eyes. "Max, there's no guarantee that this procedure will work." she cautioned, laying a gentle hand on her arm.

"It's our only hope," she whispered achingly.

Doctor Shankar nodded, understanding the need to hold on to any kind of hope. "Then get this person in here as quickly as possible."

Max was gone in a blur.

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Alec was back at the bar, brooding. He had not enjoyed his altercation with Max earlier this evening. Come to think of it, he hadn't meant to bite Asha's head off either. He wasn't even interested in the blond. Asha, however, was interested in him, and normally he was one to take advantage of situations like that. But recently, and rather regrettably, he had lost interest in women throwing themselves at him. Still, he shouldn't have been so short with Asha. His usual response was to let them go gently, but firmly, after no more than a night's acquaintance. He never got emotionally tangled.

Until now. Until Max.

He pictured Max tonight, so stricken when Logan fell. But what was worse was the look she had given him when he had told her that Logan was _not_ an option. It was like killing something inside of her.

But he had felt this sudden uncontrollable anger when he had seen Max and Logan together earlier this evening.

Here, at Crash, of all places.

He had started to think of Crash and Jam Pony as his territory, especially when it came to Max. So seeing Logan with Max in his territory, well, let's just say the rogue lion DNA in him had not been happy. He had wanted to lash out and tear Logan from limb to limb. He smiled humorlessly into his drink. Losing control was _not_ something he did on a regular basis. He was sure that his reaction to Max was chemical. Nothing more. Really. He was trying in vain to reassure himself.

His phone rang, and he almost jumped out of his skin. He picked it up, "Yeah."

"Alec, this is Max. I need you to come to the hospital right away."

"Right." _Could he really say no to her?_ He sighed to himself, not even if it was to save Logan again. "I'll be right there as soon as I can, Max."

He stood up and started for the door. He was so deep in thought that he hadn't seen the brooding figure that had been watching him all night. As he walked past him, the man picked up a radio and spoke into it, "All right, he's coming your way. Be prepared."

Alec swung the doors of Crash open, and was suddenly in the middle of a spotlight, with at least ten cops aiming their weapons at him. He could hear all of them cocking their weapons. "Hands in the air! You're under arrest!"

Alec could only look around, confused. He started to take slow steps back, thinking that he could leave through the back door, when a cold barrel of a gun was pressed against the back of his neck. "Don't even think it," the man from the bar whispered menacingly in his ear. "You're under arrest." He grabbed Alec by the collar and forced him forward.

Alec knew that he couldn't possibly fight off enough of them without getting shot at least once or twice. That wasn't something he would risk. It only took one fatal bullet to die, and as much of a bitch life was to him, he actually liked being alive.

Besides, he was pretty sure this was all a mistake.

He hoped.

**CHAPTER 4**

Mule was busy polishing shoes in his cell. He was another Manticore hybrid, half-human, half-mule. He was meant to be a worker, a servant. So, it was no big deal that the cops had made him polish their shoes. He was really good at it actually.

Suddenly, his cell door opened, and Ames White walked in. White was not tall, but he was intimidating. Maybe it was the blue-gray eyes that never displayed emotion, except for disgust and malice. Maybe it was the cruel twist to the man's lips every time he spoke to Mule. Or maybe it was the fact that he was a killer that knew no remorse. In any case, Mule recoiled and took a step back in apprehension.

"My men told me that you're feeling a lot better," he said, sauntering closer to Mule.

"Yeah, I'm working hard, doing what the men tell me to." replied Mule, his eyes following the man.

White continued stalking forward. "You're doing a good job." he said, looking at the rows of shoes that were polished to a shine on the table.

With each step forward White took, Mule took a step back. White was not like other people. Mule couldn't figure him out. Every time he came around, all of his animal instincts warned him of danger.

White looked at him cautiously. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you, Mule."

Mule didn't believe him. "You cut me and put the snake blood in me, and said it would kill me." he said, recalling the last time they spoke, about two days ago.

White frowned momentarily. "You didn't tell anybody about that did you?"

"You told me not to."

"Good." White seemed to relax a bit more. He sat on Mule's bunk. "See, I figured you were a solid guy. Sorry I had to do that to you, but it was the only way. Sort of like a….uh, a test, you know?"

Mule knew only too well. How many tests had been performed on him over the years at Manticore? How many times had doctors injected things in him, pushing him to his limits?

White saw Mule's sad and distant look. "Don't worry, though, you passed." he said reassuringly. Then he walked closer, to stand before Mule. "But remember though, that, is between you and me." he whispered.

Mule didn't miss the threat in everything that White had just told him. So he just nodded. He understood. His life was on the line.

White smiled tightly at him then left the cell.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

**CHAPTER 5**

Max paced the halls of the hospital impatiently. _Where was Alec?_

She didn't know why she had instinctively called on Alec to do this. It had just seemed so natural to turn to him. She paused briefly in her pacing, trying to rationalize why that was the case. Because Alec was technically the only transgenic she knew she could bring here. There. That was the rational answer. _That's the only answer, you idiot, _she told herself. She resumed her pacing…so, where the hell was he?

Doctor Shankar came out of Logan's room, a concerned expression on her face. "If we're going to do this, your friend better get here soon."

"He's gonna get here, he knows how serious this is, he's a…" she broke off on a ragged sigh. "…a completely unreliable jerk!"

What had she been thinking? This was Alec she was talking about. Did she really think that she could trust him to be here on time…with _Logan's_ life on the line? For all she knew he was probably fitting in a couple of one night stands before showing up here. She frowned even more at the thought. _That ass!_

"Is there anybody else you can get? Because right now, this is the only shot Logan has."

Max thought for a moment, before an idea struck her. "I'll be back."

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Joshua was taking a nice nap on the porch. The air was pleasantly cool, and it eased the flea bites more.

Suddenly, he felt a dog start lapping away at his face. He chuckled. Dogs were such affectionate creatures. Sometimes, it was easier to belong with dogs than with humans.

"Is someone there?" A woman's voice called out.

Joshua rolled away in panic. She sounded too close, like she was standing right on his porch. _Oh no!_ Joshua thought. The running, the screaming, the looks of disgust that always came with looking at him ran through his head.

Joshua sat huddled in a corner, one arm covering his face.

"Are you hurt?" The girl asked again. She really was on his porch now.

"No, I'm not hurt," Joshua replied. He was looking at the girl. There was something strange about her. Something not right.

"Billie's never done this before. She just pulled me off the sidewalk and up these steps." explained the girl sheepishly.

Billie the dog, was still looking adoringly at Joshua, her tail wagging happily. "Hi, Billie," whispered Joshua.

The girl smiled slightly, "Guess she just likes you."

Joshua crawled a little closer to the girl. She was staring off into space. He waved his hand in front of her, and she didn't blink or follow his hand. It suddenly dawned on him what was not right about her.

"She helps you," he said, talking about Billie.

The girl nodded, "She leads me around. Makes sure I'm safe."

"Makes sure you don't bump into things."

"I guess so." She chuckled.

Joshua scratched Billie behind her ears. "Good Billie, good Billie," he whispered.

The girl put out her hand for a handshake. "My name is Annie. Annie Fisher. I live down the street."

Joshua looked at her hand for a moment. Then he remembered Max teaching him how to shake hands. In fact, they had shaken hands the first time they met in the basements of Manticore.

He took her hand and shook it vigorously. "Joshua, and I'm from…" then he realized that he had to be careful. No exposure. Exposure was bad. "…not here—not here." He finished lamely. "I visiting."

That was the wrong thing to say. Suddenly, Annie's sightless eyes lit up. "Oh, from where?"

"Manti…" Joshua caught himself again. "Uh…Coro."

"Mantia Coro." She repeated.

"Yeah. In France."

"Your English is very good." She remarked.

"_Merci beaucoup._" He replied, thinking about how useful all the reading he'd been doing was.

That made Annie chuckle in amusement. Then she smiled kindly at the general direction of where he was standing. "Well, we should probably be going." She turned around, and tugged at Billie's leash. "C'mon Billie, c'mon."

They both turned around and walked slowly down the steps. Joshua just stood, watching them. Aside from Original Cindy and Logan, Annie was the first non-transgenic that he had actually talked to…that didn't run screaming away from him or throw things at him.

Annie paused at the corner of the street and called out, "It's nice to meet you, Joshua!"

"It's nice to meet you, Annie!"

He smiled to himself. It was a good night to spend out on the porch. He continued to follow Annie's progress through the streets, until he couldn't see her anymore. There was a slight warming in his heart. His invisible tail would be wagging by now.

Suddenly, a motorcycle came up, and Max was there. "Joshua! I need your help!"

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Joshua was laying in a gurney that was being drawn by Max through a hospital. He was scared. But he trusted his Little Fella. And if Logan needed help, then he would do this for Max.

A voice broke through his thoughts, loud and brash, but with an underlying note of concern. "Hey, I came as soon as I heard."

"Hi, Original Cindy." Joshua greeted her from under the sheet.

"That dawgy-dawg under there?"

Joshua smiled slightly under the sheet. Original Cindy was always so funny. He liked being her doggy-dog.

Doctor Shankar came up to Max, "So, did you find somebody."

Max nodded and lifted the sheet off of Joshua's face. There was a moment of tense silence. Joshua was waiting for the good doctor to scream. Shankar, for her part, was trying to swallow the scream.

"He's got a _little_ canine DNA in him," Max said sheepishly.

_Little? _ Doctor Shankar looked down at Joshua, then up at Max's concerned face, then to Original Cindy's challenging face. If these girls could understand and accept Joshua, then she could, too. She was the doctor here after all.

"Right. Well. Okay. So long as he's got the antibodies." Then she took the gurney from Max and wheeled him into a private room, where Logan was.

They both got hooked onto a machine, and Joshua watched as his lifeblood flowed from his veins into Logan's. He knew that Little Fella cared about Logan very much. And for Little Fella's sake, he was here.

He patted Logan's head softly. "Logan will get better now." he whispered, willing the man to be better.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

**CHAPTER 6**

Alec couldn't believe his luck. He had been picked up by the cops to be part of a lineup. He knew that it was just a small delay. He looked around at the seven other guys with him. They didn't even look anything like him. Except maybe for having approximately the same build, same light brown-dark blond hair, same eye color. Well, okay, maybe in some way they all had a reason to be here, but they looked seedier, dirtier, more criminal, and definitely guiltier than he did.

Besides, aside from the cat burglaries—which he'd always made sure were on bad guys—he had really done nothing wrong. He hoped. He started wracking his brain thinking of which of his side deals might have gone sideways. He had to have an excuse ready for whatever it was that was going down. Always prepared, that was his motto.

"All right boys, get lined up," a cop said. He pushed Alec on the shoulder. Alec had to resist the urge to show the cop that he wasn't someone to be pushed around. No, he'd just look guiltier.

The less time he spent in here, the better. It was beginning to feel like Manticore in there. The gray walls, the overall atmosphere of despair, the guards watching his every move. He resisted the urge to shudder. He'd never noticed how much he hate it before, but then again, he'd never really been free before. Come to think of it, he actually did value his freedom.

_And I've got my little Maxie to thank for that,_ he thought bemusedly. Max had been an impetus for several different changes his life had taken. While all of them were uncomfortable like developing a conscience, they were ultimately rewarding in their own ways. He almost snorted to himself. Oh, this was so _lame_.

He trudged along, behind the other guys and took his place in the lineup. They were all asked to stand back against the electric blue lights that marked their height. Then turn to their right. Then to their left. Then each one was called up by number, to step forward, so presumambly, whoever the witness was, could take a good look. He trained his face to look as nonchalant as he can.

Alec grimaced. He was going to be a number again. At least, this time, it wasn't as complicated. He was number 3.

When the entire process was done, Alec got ready to leave.

"Hey, let's get a move on, pal, I've got somewhere to be!" he called out to the guards.

He hadn't expected to be picked off from the line up by the same officer that had shoved the gun down his neck. And he certainly didn't expect the damning words that came out of the cops lips. "You've been ID'd."

Alec pulled his arm away from the man. "For what?" he asked, disbelievingly.

"For the murder of Timothy Ryan."

All he could do was blink in amazement_. Who? _The one time he was actually innocent, and he was being convicted?_ No. Way._

**CHAPTER 7**

Max was sitting in the waiting area in the hospital, Original Cindy was soothingly caressing her hand. "It's gonna be okay, Boo." She said reassuringly. "You'll see. Logan's a fighter. He's gonna hang on."

But what Max couldn't tell O.C., was that while she was worried about Logan, she was livid about Alec. He hadn't even shown up yet! And it had been three hours since she'd called him. _The jerk better have a good reason for not being here for me._ she thought angrily.

Thank God Joshua had pulled through. Thank God Shankar was open-minded. And thank God Original Cindy was here. She knew who her real friends were.

Shankar came towards them, a smile on her pretty Indian face. "The antibodies in your friend's blood is neutralizing the virus, keeping it from replicating. It worked, Max." she said excitedly. "He's gonna make it."

Original Cindy looked at Max. "You hear that? He's gonna be okay." Then she pulled her Boo into a small comforting hug.

"He asked to see you." said Shankar, looking at Max. She smiled briefly, then left through another set of revolving doors.

Max was torn. There was nothing more in the world that she wanted at that moment than to see Logan. She was happy that he was okay. But she couldn't get Alec's words out of her head.

_We're a danger to them, Max. Okay. When are you finally going to see that?_

Maybe it had to take something like this for her to see it. But she couldn't deny it anymore. Alec was right. She was a danger to Logan every second that she spent with him.

She looked imploringly at O.C.'s eyes. "I can't go in there." she said softly.

"He's asking for you." OC pointed out softly, but there was no judgment or recrimination in her tone. She was, if not empathetic, a very good observer of things.

"I can't see him. Not now." She whispered achingly. The next words were the hardest to get out. "Not ever again."

OC frowned slightly, understanding what Max was going through, but still not quite accepting what her Boo was saying. "You're just saying that 'cuz you're upset." She looked deeply into Max's stricken eyes. She tried a softer tactic. "You heard the lady. He's gonna be fine."

Max just shook her head, still not bothering to cover the anguish she was going through. OC was her best human friend. She understood the subtleties of what emotions did to a human psyche. She had to make OC understand her now. "This time. But what about next time?"

If Logan had died…well, there were no words to describe how that would feel. Tonight was another miracle. She bit her lip. For someone who didn't even believe in God, she was sure asking for an awful lot of miracles.

OC nodded, almost imperceptibly. She did understand. She could feel Max's pain radiating towards her. She knew Max needed someone to tell her that it was the right thing to do. Otherwise, she wouldn't have the strength to leave Logan at all. But all OC could do was nod.

That was enough for Max. "No. This has to stop. Tell him I'm glad he's okay."

With that, Max turned the other direction—away from Logan. Besides, she told herself, she had to take Joshua home. She smiled sadly. This would definitely make Joshua's night. He was her hero.

**CHAPTER 8**

"Alec!" cried out Normal, looking almost frantic as he walked through the fine business establishment that he ran, Jam Pony. He spotted a few of the laggers chatting away the day and paused long enough to ask, "Any of you reprobates seen Alec?"

They shook their heads and Normal continued his run through of Jam Pony looking for his Golden Boy. "Isn't here, doesn't call, thinks only of himself, always hurts the one…" he muttered to himself, his thoughts on the handsome young man who worked so hard for him.

He caught sight of Sketchy. The tall, skinny, slightly greasy young man was leaning lazily against his locker. "Hey you, crustacean, have you seen Golden Boy?"

Sketchy threw a quick glance to Max and Original Cindy. "No," he replied, confused.

That answer was the last straw for Normal. Sighing in frustration he decided to take his anger and worry out on the laggards that were roaming all throughout his place of business. "Let's go people. Mission bells are ringing! Let's go!" He approached a random group of bikers. "Hear it? Bip, bip, bip!" he yelled at their faces, effectively breaking them up.

Max looked around Jam Pony surprised to find out that Alec really wasn't there. She had thought that he was already on a run, keeping up appearances of being Normal's precious Golden Boy. She shrugged. Like she cared where he was anyway. He had stood her up last night, and she didn't give a damn what kind of night he must've had to miss work today. _Unreliable, as always_, she thought.

She strung her messenger bag over her shoulder and she and Original Cindy started to make their way towards their bikes.

"Logan kept asking where you were. I didn't know what to say," said O.C., broaching the sensitive topic of conversation.

Max frowned slightly and pursed her lips. She tried to let it slide, waving her hand in a careless gesture. "It's okay, it's not your problem," she said lightly.

But then her beeper started to go off. She and Cindy stopped walking as she glanced down at the numbers flashing on the tiny screen. "Is that him?" asked Cindy.

Max nodded, already feeling the panic rising inside of her. _Damn!_ She had been hoping to put this off for days.

Original Cindy saw the look on Max's eyes, the irritation, the slight panic. She knew what her Boo was thinking. She wanted to avoid the issue all together. Them transgenic-types sure were quick to high tail it when a situation got too emotional. She looked straight into Max's eyes and said bluntly, "If you're serious about this, you owe the man an explanation." Sometimes, Max really needed an emotional babysitter.

Max looks blankly at Cindy, but drops her Manticore mask, knowing her friend was right.

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"Hi, stranger," said Logan.

Max was on a payphone at Jam Pony, leaning against the cement column. She was so not looking forward to this conversation. But it had to be done. "Hi." She replied, her voice flat.

"You missed it," said Logan, his voice lighthearted over the phone. Max frowned at his tone. "I wandered all over the hospital looking for you with the back of my gown open," continued Logan, keeping the same tone.

Max's frown deepened. He was trying very hard to put her off-topic, and it couldn't be put-off. "Yeah, uh, sorry about that. Listen—"

Logan cut her off. "I'm feeling pretty good actually. Must be all that transgenic blood."

"We need to talk." She said firmly, frustrated with his stalling. He was only postponing the inevitable, which was actually more cruel than getting to the point.

But Logan wasn't listening. He just continued with his meaningless chatter. "And, you know, I pulled out an old board I had lying around and put up all the doodlings I made at the bar the other night. It's kind of my wide-screen version, y'know."

"Logan—" she said, almost exasperated. She let his joke fall flat, not wanting to be amused at the moment.

"Don't, Max." He cut her off again, this time his voice held an edge of desperation.

There was silence for a while as both of them struggled to find the words to convince themselves of the truth. Max's lips trembled as she forced the words out of her mouth. They had to be said. "I can't do this anymore."

Logan pursed his lips, his jaw clenched. He had to reassure her! Make her see that everything was still doable. "Look, I'm fine. Everything turned out okay."

Max's voice was distant over the phone. Resigned to the fate that they were dealt with. "We got lucky, again. I mean, how many miracles do you think we're gonna get?"

"Do I get a vote? It _is_ my life on the line." He said, not really able to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"So what? You end up dead…and I get to spend the rest of my life knowing it's all my fault?" she asked, also unable to keep the bitterness out of her tone. "I pass," she added softly. It wasn't really a choice that she had to make. It was a choice that had already been made for her without her vote. She should've let things go so long ago…but this was Logan…and she'd held on to him for so long, the idea of letting go had been unthinkable. But of course, her life just _had_ to suck, and the unthinkable just _had_ to be the right thing to do.

" I've been where you are, remember? Thinking it was all too hard. But I realized being away from you was worse," he whispered onto the phone, his tone begging her to understand the enormity of what she was doing.

Max couldn't listen to him anymore. He would just convince her that they would get through this, when deep inside, she knew that it was unlikely. Close to never, actually. "I have to hang up now."

"Max—"

She hung up, letting a wave of sorrow pass over her. She leaned her head against the phone, allowing the emotion overcome her, if only for a moment. She had done it. It was really over.

She straightened and prepared to face the rest of her day. As she walked out into one of the rare sunny Seattle days, she realized that she actually felt relieved. And free. She smiled slightly, she might just get through this bitch after all.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

**CHAPTER 9**

A lone man stood by his car, parked in a secluded area by the river. He was wearing a long overcoat, despite the sun beating down.

Moments later, another car pulled up and a lady, in her mid-forties, stepped out. She was severe looking, with pale skin that contrasted heavily with her short dark hair, shrewd dark eyes, and crimson lips. At the moment, those lips were pressed tightly in displeasure.

The man stood a bit straighter, sensing the discontent radiating from the woman.

"_Fe'nos tol_." He greeted.

"_Fe'nos tol_." She replied, but her tone was abrupt. She wanted to get straight to the matter.

NSA Special Agent Ames White understood what this meeting was all about. "I tested the transgenic. The damn thing got sick, but it pulled through." He reported, not mincing on words.

"Then that girl's survival wasn't just a fluke?" she asked, needing confirmation of Max's seemingly miraculous survival of the poisoned snake blood she had been infected with.

White sighed. "I'm afraid not," he said softly, knowing his confirmation would only displease the woman more. "Though there is something different about 452. She never exhibited any symptoms."

"What should I tell the Conclave?"

"I think it's time to accept the possibility that Sandeman made the Manticore transgenics immune." He said, his voice grave.

The woman's expression went from displeasure to disbelief to anger. White could understand. He had felt the same set of emotions after he found out about 452's brush with the snake blood and lack of reaction to it. She was ruining thousands of years of work. He had no choice but to recommend her elimination.

"This changes everything. It's time to make a move."

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Someone was at the door. _Who could it be?_ Max and Alec never knocked. And they were the only people who visited him in daylight hours.

Joshua walked hesitantly to the door and opened it.

"Joshua?"

"Annie." He said, his blue eyes lighting up at seeing her. He couldn't believe that she was here! She was beautiful. And kind. Kind—she was kind…that was the most important thing. She had a good heart, he could tell.

Annie smiled tentatively at his general direction. "It's the funniest thing," she said, her tone light and friendly. "Billie and I were walking past, and Billie just veered up your steps again. She really likes you."

Joshua smiled broadly at her statement. "I like her, too."

Annie tilted her head at him, her smile getting warmer. "She's usually a really good judge of character." She paused, suddenly looking slightly uneasy. She was shifting her weight from one foot to the other, and Joshua wondered if she was okay. Then Annie smiled again, this time shyly. "I hope you don't think I'm being forward, but I wanted to invite you to dinner."

Joshua was stunned. Nobody but Little Fella had ever tried to be friends with him. Much less invite him to dinner. His heart was beating rapidly, he did not know why. Joshua was…_crushing_ on Annie? He had heard Alec mention that word before when talking about a girl named with a V. Alec said V crush on Alec. Joshua crush on Annie. Annie crush on Joshua?

Before he could formulate an answer, a woman walked past his house down on the street. He ducked behind the wall, making sure she didn't see him. Annie could not see Joshua. Annie didn't run away screaming.

"Are you there?" asked Annie, after an incredibly long and awkward silence.

Joshua popped his head back out of the door, making sure the coast was clear. "Yeah, I'm here." He reassured her, his voice slightly flustered.

"I thought with you being new in town and all.." But Annie trailed off when Joshua still remained quiet. She tried to hide her hurt and disappointment. She was used to it. "That's okay." She said, her voice deceptively cheerful, "You're probably really busy."

Joshua realized Annie was mistaking his silence for a 'no'. "I...I…I'd love to." He stammered quickly, excitedly.

"What?"

"I'd love to have dinner."

Annie exhaled in relief. "Great! I live down the street, across from-"

But Joshua stopped her rather abruptly. "No. Here…" Then Joshua noticed her frown. Maybe he sounded to mean? "Uh, because I love to…cook," he said quickly. "Do you like macaroni and cheese?" He asked, hoping she would say yes. He only knew how to make macaroni and cheese the way Little Fella showed him how. Little Fella also only knew how to make macaroni and cheese. She burned everything else she tried to cook.

Annie was smiling nicely at him. "It's my favorite," she said. But suddenly she frowned slightly and sniffed the air. "Is that turpentine?"

Joshua looked around him, realizing that the house was a mess. And stinky, too. "Uh, yes. I paint."

"You're a painter?" she asked, her tone rising a notch. She sounded interested.

"Yes." Joshua was beginning to like Annie more and more.

"Wow. A painter from Mantia Coro. Right here on my little street." She said. But her voice was nice. She meant everything kindly. Joshua liked Annie a lot. He tucked his hair shyly behind one ear, suddenly feeling warm.

"So, I'll see you at seven, okay?"

"Okay," he said, and watched her make her way down his front porch with Billie guiding her. Good Billie. _Good Billie, _he thought,for bringing Annie to Joshua.

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"So, you did it?" asked Original Cindy, referring to the big official break-up with Logan. She was leaning casually against the bar at Crash, her elbows propped behind her.

Max had laid her head despondently down on the bar. She didn't answer her best friend.

O.C. glanced at Max's sprawled figure and turned around to face her Boo. "It's over?" she prompted again. She knew it helped to say the words out loud.

Max folded her arms on the bar and rested her chin on them. "Yeah, it's over," she confirmed with a huge dramatic sigh.

Suddenly, Sketchy squeezed himself between them, handing an empty pitcher for a refill of beer to the barkeep. He was indecently close to Max, and it was a sign of Max's depression that she hadn't tossed Sketchy on his ass as soon as his body was touching hers.

"Ladies, did you hear what happened to our bud Alec?" he asked.

Max rolled her eyes at the mention of Alec's name. "Don't care," she mumbled.

Sketchy chose to ignore Max's little mood. "He's in jail."

"Hm. Whatever." Max snorted. It served him right. Just standing her up last night was enough reason for her to justify Alec's jail time.

Sketchy frowned slightly at Max. He didn't believe for one second that she didn't care about their friend Alec. As far as he could tell, they just had a slightly more violent version of his friendship with Max. _Maybe even more_, he thought, remembering the scene from the Blowfish Tavern. Max was just…_complicated_, and trying to figure her out was dangerous to his health. Maybe that was why she kept on hurting Alec, because Alec was always trying to figure her out. But that wasn't his place to say

So, he just continued with his story. "You know Hummer, the bartender from last night? Saw him get pinched right outside of here."

The barkeep returned the pitcher of beer in front of him, and he stood up to leave with it and bring it back to his other friends. "Kinda makes you wonder what he did, huh?" he asked rhetorically.

To be honest, he was always in awe of Alec's ability to get into trouble, but somehow miraculously get out of it, too. Heck, Alec made getting into trouble look like fun. Adventure. Very macho. When Sketchy got into trouble…well, he was just in trouble. Yep, getting his ass hauled to jail just sent Alec a notch up in his estimation of the guy.

Max looked away briefly from Sketchy and Original Cindy. She did wonder what he had been up to last night. But she let it go. "Not really," she said, dismissing her random thoughts. She took a swig of her beer, avoiding Original Cindy's gaze, which she could feel like laser beams directed at her.

"You're not gonna help him?" demanded O.C.

Max shrugged. "I got my own problems," she replied off-handedly. "Alec can take care of himself."

Original Cindy just shook her head sadly. Her Boo got some serious issues. She really didn't get why Max worked so hard on being mean to Alec. It was like she made an extra effort everyday to bring the guy down. Lucky for them all, Alec was a cool enough dude to just let it slide and bounce right back into the game. "Now, you know you gotta come correct on this."

But Max still had that stubborn look on her face. Original Cindy resisted the urge to smack her girlfriend upside the head. She wished she didn't have to, but now she had to pull out the big guns: guilt and conscience. "Suppose they tip to his bar code? _Exposure_, the whole thing." She reminded Max. "Bad for Alec, bad for _you_, bad for Joshua…bad for everybody."

She could see that she was getting through to the girl. Max's face was softening, a sure sign that she was capitulating.

Max shrugged. Original Cindy was right. _Damn, Alec!_ "Not like saving his butt isn't already my full-time job," she sighed. She got up to leave—Alec's ass needed saving, after all. "Thanks for the beer," she called to O.C. before heading out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

**CHAPTER 10**

Alec didn't know where they were taking him. He had been sitting patiently in his cell, his senses keeping track of guard changes and other goings-on in the precinct. He had a half-formed plan of escape already. But of course, he had to bide his time. He didn't need to tip the whole world to the fact that he was transgenic. Max would be royally pissed at him if he did.

He wondered if Max was even worried about him.

_In your dreams, buddy_, he thought sarcastically to himself. She would more likely be worried about how she didn't have a punching bag for the day. How Max had ever got by without him was a mystery to him.

Four guards entered his cell and chained him up pretty tight. His hands were cuffed to his front, attached with chains to the ones that cuffed his ankles, too. He was bound, hands and feet, forcing him to shuffle meekly behind the guards. It was so unnecessary. Not to mention useless. He could snap all of these in a second, if he were so inclined.

But not yet.

So, he let them push him around. He wore a sort of confused, innocent look on his face. He wondered if he was going to get a female judge to sit on his trial. He almost smirked at the thought.

He walked alongside his escort, his chains clanging pathetically.

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Max sat in the small interrogation room in the Police Headquarters, waiting for someone to bring Alec to her. She was seething. She tapped her pen on her notepad, trying to expend the angry energy. It took real effort to maintain a cool and professional façade.

The lock turned on the door, and a fat police officer ushered Alec in. They looked incongruous. Alec so tall and powerfully built, walking meekly beside the short and squat police officer. Seeing Alec made Max see red. She was so _angry_. No, scratch that, she was _furious._

She stood up quickly as Alec made his entrance. He didn't betray his surprise at seeing her, especially in a business suit and a pair of wire rimmed glasses, but she could see the slight widening of the pupils in his eyes. Those were the only indication that he recognized her. He was well-trained.

"Whitney Mann, public defender's office. I'll be handling your case." She said as introduction, using an alias.

"Pleasure," he drawled.

The cop snorted his disgust, pushed Alec (who allowed himself to be pushed) forward and into a chair, and said, "You've got five minutes. If you need anything, Miss, I'll be right outside." With that, he walked back out and shut the door firmly behind him.

As soon as the door shut, Alec dropped the meek prisoner persona and became the smart aleck that he was. "Max, thank God, you've come. I swear I was on my way to the hospital…"

Max cut him off by raising her hand in command, along with an angry, "Shut up."

They were sitting face to face across the table.

Alec frowned slightly, "Oh no. You can't possibly believe them." He sounded so incredulous. Max had to give him credit for that. Maybe Manticore had given the X-series acting lessons after her escape. Either that, or Alec was just a really good liar. She was more inclined to believe the latter.

She leaned forward menacingly. "I came down here to bail your sorry ass out 'cause I figured you got grabbed up off of one of your scams going sideways," she whispered vehemently. There was no need to shout. Her anger and disgust were eloquently conveyed by the look on her face.

Then she dropped her accusation: "But the Officer just told me you _killed_ somebody!" She was clenching her jaw so tightly, her mouth barely moved when she said those words.

Alec leaned forward towards her, his eyes wide and innocent. "I didn't do it." He said simply, a slight chuckle in his voice.

Max shook her head, refusing to believe him. "You got ID'd. There's a _perfect_ DNA match."

Alec's green eyes started to cloud over as he, too, shook his head. "No, I'm telling you…"

But Max cut him off. "No! Don't tell me anything, all right?"

She couldn't believe it, but Alec actually looked _hurt_. She felt a slight tightening in her gut at the look that he was giving her. She steeled herself against him, knowing what a creative liar he was.

"I'm sorry I let you out of Manticore. I'm sorry I inflicted you out on the world." She said, enunciating each word. She didn't know why it suddenly hurt her to say them, but it did. Maybe it was the way his eyes got darker with each word. Or the slight flinch on his face after she'd said her piece. Either way, she felt a slight tightening around her chest area. In the vicinity of her heart.

To tell the truth, what she was most sorry about was the fact that she had actually started to think she could expect better of him. She should've known. She felt…disappointed in him.

She couldn't be in there with him anymore. She felt suffocated.

"Screw exposure," She stood up and started to gather her things. "I'm leaving you here for White to deal with. You deserve whatever it is that he's got cooked up for you."

Alec stood up, too. He felt like he was dying inside. It actually _hurt_ like real fucking pain that Max didn't believe him. That she thought he was capable of what he had been accused of. He didn't know why, but he _had_ to make her understand, make her believe him.

"Max, I swear, I'm innocent," Alec said, his voice pleading her to believe him. His eyes boring into her, searching inside of her. Max looked away, unable to look him in the eyes.

She had been trained to detect certain pitches and tones in people's voice for sincerity, and she heard it in Alec's. She clenched her teeth, but she wasn't buying it. He was really good at this acting thing. "Tell that to Ames." She replied flippantly. "And, uh, give him my regards,"

She walked around the table and towards the door. Alec turned around to face her. "You _really_ think I could do it? You think I could _murder_ someone in cold blood?" he asked, his voice rising to a near shout.

Max spun around, her hair whipping back. She gave him a withering stare. "Yes, Alec, I think you could!" she shouted back, just as vehemently. And that was the sad truth. She _could_ believe that of him. Hadn't he once killed other transgenics to save his own ass? Hadn't he once tried to kill her and Joshua? It hurt, but she really could believe that he was a killer. _ And to think I actually came so close to trusting him._

Alec leaned forward his eyes angry and frustrated. "The guy's teeth were pulled from his head, for God's sake!" He cried out, his voice ragged with frustration.

Max stopped dead in her tracks, her hand still poised over the handle of the door. Her world was suddenly reeling. "_Ben_." she whispered under her breath.

She was suddenly assaulted by a flashback. It was that of a dead boy, his teeth ripped out, Ben's barcode tattooed on the back of his neck.

Then she saw Ben, standing before the Blue Lady, his victim's teeth a part of his sacrificial offering.

"_Ben, why are you doing this?"_

"_You know why." He said, a maniacal gleam in his beautiful hazel eyes._

She turned around to face Alec, looking into _his_ pair of beautiful hazel eyes. Those eyes were hurt, pleading…innocent.

"Come on, Max," he implored.

Max was still speechless. She was suddenly looking at Alec differently. Like someone had finally taken off a pair of really dirty glasses from her eyes and she was seeing things clearly. She was seeing _him _clearly.

Alec was just glad that she had turned around, listening to him. But he still couldn't keep the bitterness from his voice. "You know, no matter what you think, there's no way it could have been me. The guy was killed over a year ago. I was a Manticore."

And there it was. The infallible proof of his innocence.

Before Max could say anything, the door opened and the squat guard came in, "Okay, time's up."

And Max's elbow slammed into his face.

She grabbed the keys from his hand before he hit the ground hard. Alec looked at the fallen guard. "Hmm…doesn't he sort of remind you of a beached whale?"

Max groaned. Alec never shut up.

And then she smiled slightly as she worked on unlocking all the chains off of him. At least, he was _Alec_.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

**CHAPTER 10 **

Alec was incredibly relieved that Max believed him. He wouldn't have cared if the rest of the world thought he'd murdered those people—but he cared if Max did. Luckily, he was in no mood to psycho-babble through why he felt that way.

"Max, I'm not complaining, but what made you think I didn't do it?" he whispered, as they stalked quietly down the halls of the precinct. They crept around and checked several office doors. It was a good thing that it was late at night, and most of the cops had gone home. They were looking for a quick escape route with as little witnesses as possible.

Max shot him a look and a "Shhh!" But she didn't bother to reply to his question. She was used to Alec and his incessant chatter.

When Max didn't answer his question, he decided to mask it as a joke. He didn't need her to know how important the answer was to him. "I'm just curious," he said in his stage whisper. "Was it the sincerity in my eyes? You know, people have told me that I have sincere eyes."

"Shhh! Quiet!" Max looked at him with a mixed expression of disbelief and mounting amusement. It was a wonder that they hadn't been caught yet. _It must be a gift_, she thought wryly, for Alec to be able to turn a situation as critical and serious as the one he was in into a joke. He batted his long-lashed green eyes at her to prove his point. "Or was it the quiet plea in my voice?"

And Max couldn't help it. She really couldn't. She had to toss a sarcastic comment back, "Oh, you mean like, when you were begging me to save your ass?"

Alec gave her a boyish grin, "Exactly," he replied.

She just rolled her eyes at him. She finally found an office that was unlocked and had a window. "In here," she whispered, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. They checked outside the window. They were at least four stories up. There were three cops standing outside, smoking and chatting away. Max stepped out onto the ledge and started edging her way against the wall.

Alec was right behind her. Still chatting away. "It was the teeth thing wasn't it? I mean, c'mon, I could hardly stand going to the dentist."

Max glared at him. She couldn't believe he had brought up the murders. "Shut up, okay," she whispered back at him, her voice sharp.

He followed her onto the ledge. "Why are you taking this so personally?" he asked, curious as to why she was so touché about the subject of teeth being ripped off people's heads.

"Because it was Ben." She said simply, as she continued to inch her way along the wall, careful not to slip.

Alec paused for a moment, one foot inside the precinct, the other out on the ledge. He had to absorb this piece of information, and it was best done when he wasn't teetering over the edge of a high drop. "Ben? My Manticore twin, Ben?" he asked incredulously.

Max considered just dropping the subject, but she knew that Alec deserved to know the truth. He had been dragged through hell in Manticore because of Ben, and had almost paid another high price today. "He killed Timothy Ryan, and ten other people. Same M.O." she explained, her voice flat and emotionless.

Alec twisted his lips in a humorless smile. "Oh. They told me back at Manticore that he'd gone nuts, but," he paused, whistling his disbelief, "whew! Serial killer,"

Max couldn't believe how dispassionate he was being about the topic of Ben. He actually sounded like he was _amused_ by the mix-up that almost happened tonight. "One more word from you and I shove you off this ledge!" she called back, not bothering to hide her irritation at him. Alec decided then, that maybe he really ought to shut up. But he was still confused and more than a little curious about how strong her reaction was to this incident.

They reached a drain pipe and Max started to climb down. Alec positioned himself just above her, holding on to the pipe tightly. He could see the cops below him and hear their little conversations. It was a long way down. He glanced down at Max who had planted her feet firmly against the wall.

He had a bad feeling about this.

"Max, please tell me you've got a plan," he whispered.

Max didn't really have a plan. She'd already convicted Alec of the murders in her mind, and hadn't intended to bust him out. She had just wanted to yell at him. To convey her disgust. To prove to herself how dumb she was to trust someone like him. But now that she was wrong, she wasn't exactly prepared to break him out of jail. But of course, they could always improvise. What's the use of being a genetically enhanced human being if not for performance during moments in the clutch?

"Hang on." She called up towards him as she began to push against the wall, simultaneously pulling the pipe away from it. The pipe began to loosen from the wall.

"What're you doing? No, no, no…" he whispered. God, genetically enhanced or not and feline DNA aside, he hated little acrobatics like this. Why was Max always so interested in the most _complicated_ way of doing things? Couldn't they just climb down this pipe, knock the guards over and jump the fence?

After a second of disgusted disbelief of how utterly _stupid_ this plan was, he pushed against the wall, too. _If you can't beat her, join her_. That was his other motto.

In the next instant, there was a loud groaning of metal being pushed to its limits as the drainpipe was ripped off the wall and started to fall. Alec groaned as he wrapped his arms and legs around the pipe and began to fall with it.

The officers outside looked up at the sound. "What's going on?" cried one of them. They saw the pipe fall against the electrical lines and the far fence, with two figures clinging to it. It crashed against the fence, pulling the electrical wires along the way. It was suddenly like the Fourth of July, as sparks flew everywhere.

The pipe was suspended against the wires and the fence, Alec and Max still hanging on.

Alec glared at the back of Max's head. "_This_ is your plan?" he asked sarcastically.

Max resisted the urge to back kick him. She looked down and spotted a parked station wagon directly below them. "Jump!" she cried.

She and Alec dropped off from the pipe, on top of a parked vehicle. Their perfect landing shattered windows. Glass sprayed everywhere.

The cops were brought out of their dazed surprise by the new disturbance. They reached for their weapons and aimed. "Freeze! Freeze!"

They started shooting at the two figures who immediately scrambled off of the mutilated vehicle. They shot incessantly, peppering the poor car with bullet holes.

Max and Alec had slid to the front of the car, huddled. Alec glared angrily at Max as bullets flew past them. "I should've stayed in there and taken my chances." He bit out sarcastically.

Max looked worriedly towards her Ninja, parked a few yards away, as the hail of bullets continued to assault their cover. Suddenly, small explosions and sparks erupted from the damaged electrical poles, giving them the few seconds they needed to run towards her baby.

She pulled at Alec's leather-bound arm. "Come on!"

They ran and straddled their motorcycle, and were off into the night, futile shots ringing behind them.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

**CHAPTER 11**

They went to her apartment. Alec couldn't exactly go back to his place. After the cops discovered that he was gone, they were sure to stake his place out.

All was quiet inside; Original Cindy, Max's roommate, had decided to stay the night at one of her lady friends' pads. Max knew that she could always count on OC to understand the subtleties of being the best friend of a genetically engineered supersoldier. If a something was underfoot, it was best for OC to know as little as possible. Max knew that Original Cindy didn't need a reminder of how dangerous it can be to be connected to Max and anything related to her past.

"Max," Alec's deep voice broke the silence between them. They had not spoken a word since sliding down the drain pipe and driving away from the gunshots the cops had aimed at their retreating figures. "Thanks for busting me outta there." Alec's tone was sincere—uncommon for him.

And just like his mercurial personality, he chuckled quietly, "So, the thing that's got me worried is I can't exactly use 'Well, I was locked up in a secret government facility,' as my alibi." He quipped, leaning against the frame of one of the windows.

"Guess not." She called out from her bedroom.

"Yeah really, y'know?" he asked ruefully, his tone tinged with just a little bit of regret.

Max walked out of her room, dressed in a sweatshirt and yoga pants. She glanced over at him. He was still standing by her window, his shoulder propped casually against the side. Max knew better than to be fooled by his casual stance. She knew that he was keenly aware of everything that was happening down the street. He was keeping a look-out.

"Maybe Logan could pull one of his little—" he paused. "Oh My God! Logan!" He shot off the wall, suddenly utterly serious. "Is he alright?" He had completely forgotten that Logan had gotten sick from his brief contact with Max at Crash. The virus was designed to kill within 24 hours. Alec glanced quickly at his watch. Approximately 28 hours had passed since that moment in Crash.

"He's fine. Joshua came through for him." Max replied. Her tone was light.

A little _too_ light.

"Oh, good." Alec walked over towards the kitchen where Max was, glad that there was no drama and crisis. "I swear, Max, I was on my way to do all within my power to save our dear old friend when I got busted. But, I'm sure Josh was probably the better choice. Logan could use a little canine plasma to loosen him up." he quipped, smiling widely as if he's just delivered the punchline from a witty joke.

Max just frowned at him, before turning away to rummage for some coffee in the kitchen. She remained quiet.

"Just kidding, Max. Come on. You know I love Logan."

He smiled mischievously, "I mean, not the way YOU love him, but he's a loveable fella. Underneath that academic, save-the-world-exterior beats the heart of true gold."

He paused when all he could get from her was a dirty look. "Well, he's okay, right?" asked Alec, his tone reassuring. He was also probing.

Max gave him a tight smile, and a small nod. She hoped he would drop the subject.

Alec was beginning to worry about the lack of response he was getting from her. With the amount of baiting he was doing, he should have been in for a whale of a beating from her. But…nothing. He sighed. He was going to have to be nice. "So, what's the problem?"

Max exhaled away her impatience. Why did he suddenly have to act like he _cared_? It wasn't like Logan was his best friend. Oh well, Alec was going to find out sooner or later anyway. "I'm not gonna see him anymore," she explained.

There was a heartbeat's pause as Alec tried to digest what she had just said. His traitorous heart had leapt at her admission. "Anymore this week?" he asked, needing some clarification.

"Ever." She said, not bothering to look up from the coffee she was stirring inside the pan. She had expected a big tirade from Alec, but got none. She finally looked up, only to find him staring intently at her, a strange look on his face. It was almost…_tender._ She brushed the thought away.

"I can't risk it," she explained to him, her voice holding a finality that showed that she really meant it. There was that look on his face again that Max really couldn't decipher. It better not be pity. And it definitely better not be smugness. She gave him a warning look. "And I don't wanna hear an 'I told you so,'" she said tightly.

Alec just shook his head, his eyes sincere, "No, I wasn't going to." he said quietly.

They were silent for a while. Alec just watched as Max bustled along in the kitchen. He didn't really know what to say. Part of him was upset for her. He knew how much she cared about Logan. It was like watching a painful Romeo and Juliet drama unfolding daily in front of his eyes, those two. But part of him was relieved, too. He knew it was dangerous for them to be involved with others who weren't like themselves. He wanted to spare Max the pain of losing someone she loved. He knew first hand how debilitating the pain could be. And well, another part of him was wickedly ecstatic. He squelched that part, knowing it had no place in this time and conversation. It had no place in…maybe ever.

"Coffee?" she offered, her voice sounding overly bright and strained, breaking the fragile silence between them.

He ducked his head, hoping she hadn't seen any revealing looks in his eyes, and scratched his barcode. "Yeah, sure."

Max looked at Alec as she was pouring him a cup. He was doing that thing he did when he was nervous. He was fidgeting with his fingers, looking at his nails, probably wanting to bite them. She was amused at the thought. She was also startled to realize that she had actually accumulated enough knowledge about Alec to say that she knew him. Not just as an acquaintance, but as someone who was part of her life. It was a thought that almost left her breathless. When had he become a part of her life anyway?

"Listen, since we're already wading knee-deep in painful subjects," he said softly, fighting to keep his tone even. He was looking at his fingers still, unable to look her in the eye. Finally, he looked up, "Tell me about him. About Ben. The way you knew him. What was he like?"

Max's breath caught in her throat. Her mind was in turmoil, her heart was racing. She clenched her teeth against the painful memories that suddenly assailed her. She picked up the coffee pot, banging a few other pots in the process. She contemplated how to answer the unexpected request.

Normally, she would have just dismissed his comments. It was usually so easy to brush Alec off, just simply because he was always so careful to just touch the surface of everything. Alec never dealt with any deep emotional entanglements. He always just seemed to bounce back from everything and maintain his happy-go-lucky smile, continue to make his sarcastic little quips, and move on.

But tonight, she knew that he deserved an answer. She _knew_ that he _couldn't_ make himself ask the question again.

Max took a deep breath. She saw a flashback of Ben as they'd been, sitting in the barracks of her unit. He'd always had such a wide, sweet smile. He had only been eleven, then. She had been nine. "When we were kids back at Manticore…" she started, but stopped, her needing to steady herself from the onslaught of memories. "He always wanted answers for everything. You know, why we were there, and what was outside."

Alec listened intently. There was a catch in her voice, and her hands shook as she poured coffee into her own mug. She raised her dark brown eyes to him. They were looking at him with heartbreaking tenderness. But they were distant, as if she were seeing something else, a memory superimposed over his own features.

"So, he would make up these fantastic stories to explain things," she continued, a small smile lifting her lips. "Somehow it made us all feel…loved. Like we weren't all alone."

She saw the memory of her, lying on his bed, late one night. Moonlight filtered through the windows as he kneeled by her, making shadow puppets for her. He had always done that for her, comforted her in her darkest moments. And loved her in her best.

Alec was getting uncomfortable with the way Max was looking at him. Like he was a ghost. He rolled his shoulders slightly to uncoil the tension. "Sounds like a nice kid. What went wrong?" He was a little bit more callous than he had intended, but the way Max looked at him…it wasn't _right_.

But what was worse, was that he was getting this insane feeling that he was jealous of his twin…because he knew that Max had looked at Ben with the love and tenderness that were shining in her eyes at the moment.

Suddenly, Max's expression changed, darkened. "After we escaped…it was like there were too many things in this world he didn't have answers for."

She was assaulted by a flashback of Ben, as an adult.

_We never should have left._

_Everything made sense there._

Ben had been Zack's SIC. He had known his role in their Unit. He had known who his family was. He had known how to take care of them. He had known how to love them. Especially Max. He had known how to love Max.

Max shook her head away from the damning memories. She looked at Alec, but didn't quite see him. "I don't know. He just…lost it." She whispered, almost to herself.

She turned around. Turned her back on Alec. Unable to look at him because he looked like Ben.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine." She replied quickly. But she didn't turn around. Instead, she sat on a stool, her back still towards him.

Alec had a painful, twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was like he could feel the pain Max was radiating. He walked around the counter that separated them, and leaned against it, staying just slightly behind her, in case she still didn't want to look at him. He understood. She didn't need to explain how she couldn't face him just now.

"Max, what is it?"

"We were in the woods," she started, her voice distant and low, her eyes glazed over, as if looking inside and watching the memory unfurl itself in her head. The hairs on the back of her neck and arms stood on end at the memory. "He was hurt." Max didn't have to explain to Alec _who_ had hurt Ben…and why. "Manticore was closing in on us."

Alec's throat constricted. He could feel his heart race. Max was staring away, but he could see the fine tremors that ran through her body.

"He didn't want to go back there." She whispered.

Alec clenched his jaw. He understood only too well what Manticore had in store for his twin. "Reindoctrination." He confirmed quietly. "Or worse."

"I killed him." she said simply.

Alec flinched and his knees almost buckled from the sheer weight of the emotions that crashed into him. He stared at Max as if seeing her for the first time. She was shaking slightly from side to side, as if trying to rock away the horror.

"He asked me to. So, I did." She continued. He didn't try to stop her. He knew that she needed to say the words. That she needed to say everything that was weighing inside of her. "And then I ran. I saved myself. And I just left his…body there for them to take away." This time her voice broke, as huge tears spilled down her face.

Alec nodded slightly to himself. It finally made sense. It all finally made sense.

He tentatively wrapped one arm around her, shoving the other hand into his pocket. It surprised him to realize how small Max really was. She was always so strong and capable, that she always exuded a much bigger personality. But tonight, she was not the same girl.

He leaned over and pressed a kiss on her head—perhaps one of comfort, perhaps one of forgiveness. "Max, I'm sorry," he whispered, wishing he could speak for his dead twin.

"I killed him," she whispered achingly again. She raised her face to him. She had such a beautiful expressive face. Right now, her lips were trembling, a slight crease marred her brow, and those big brown eyes of hers were looking at him like they didn't know who he was. Maybe tonight, he realized, she had finally stopped seeing Ben's face, but finally saw him.

"It's all right," he whispered. "It's gonna be all right." He gathered her into his arms and let her cry against his chest, holding her close, letting the steady beat of his heart calm her.


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: Dark Angel and Hello Goodbye aren't mine. These are just my simple interpretations.**

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while. I had a case of lost DVD and ADD. Hahaha.**

P.S. To **CandyCentric** (if you're reading this story): Thanks for one of the funniest reviews ever! Sorry, I'm not some sort of "_covert, Manticore made, genetically enhanced writer_" just because I already have so much stuff archived. LOL! But I do type fast, which I'm chalking up to years of practice with writing research papers after weeks of procrastination. I usually write a chapter of my stories in an hour or so. But if and only if I'm inspired. If not, one of 'em will stay open on MSWord while I'm doing some real work. Then should a moment of inspiration hit, I just type away. Sorry, nothing special here. I'm just a regular run-off-the-mill, normal variety of human. It would've been cool, though, (minus all the torture).

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**CHAPTER 12**

Joshua sat across the dinner table from Annie. He had set the table up the same way Original Cindy had taught him before when he had his first dinner party. He had lit a fire, giving the room a nice and warm feeling. He was having a lot of fun just talking with Annie.

She was different from anyone he had ever met before. She was kind and caring like Max, but she didn't want to take care of him the way Max did. Annie liked to get to know Joshua like Alec did. But she didn't think of him as a silly friend the way his X5 friend did.

She also talked to him differently. Max always liked to tell him good things about the world, because she didn't want Joshua to feel scared. Alec always told him funny things about the world, because Alec only liked him to see the 'tricks and treats' of the world. But Annie was telling him the truth about the world. And Joshua was not scared even when it was not all 'tricks and treats' outside. He knew of the darkness. Annie was sharing her darkness with him. Nobody ever did that.

"There was an outbreak of measles after the pulse hit. Everything was such a mess," she explained after he had bluntly asked about her blindness. Her voice was very straight. She did not hide away from the pain, she accepted it instead. "Only place to get medicine was the black market," she continued, even though sadness was touching her voice. "My parents just didn't have that kind of money."

Joshua cocked his head to the side recognizing the change in her voice. It must have been scary. He looked at her, and he was surprised to see that she was still smiling. That made Joshua want to smile also, even though her story was very sad.

"I almost didn't pull through, and when it was over, I couldn't see anymore." She finished.

Joshua began to like Annie more and more. She was beautiful even when she was sad because she still smiled in her sadness. She was a good person. Annie was not broken inside even when her whole world had broken around her. But he still wanted to make the sadness go away. And he could tell that her sadness had fear, too, because the world was different for her now.

"But you have Billie," he pointed out, his voice full of quiet, blunt conviction.

Annie smiled. "Mmm-hmm. She's a good friend," she leaned over and patter her golden retriever and Billie whimpered happily at her touch. "But I still remember what some things look like—colors, my mother's smile,"

Joshua wondered if Annie's mother smiled like Annie. He would have to thank her because Annie had the nicest smile. He took a sip of his drink.

"You're not like most other people are you?" she asked bluntly.

Joshua suddenly felt scared that Annie had found out his secret. Had he said anything wrong tonight? He had mostly listened to her. He was really good at that. But he might have said something, too. He did not know how to answer her question. "Uh…"

"What I mean is sometimes people feel sorry for me. I can hear it in their voices when they talk to me." she explained. "I guess it's cuz I can't do everything they do,"

Joshua almost sighed out loud. But he was sad that people did not see Annie the way he did. There were so many other ways to be different that were so much worse than being blind. Most people could not understand that. "You can—you can go out, and you can talk to people. You…you…you can go to Crash and party and dance and…" he pointed out to her, all the possibilities crashing into him making him stutter. There was so much she could do! What he didn't realize was that he was sharing his own disabilities with her.

"I know, but…" she trailed off, and he suddenly realized that in a small part of her heart, she felt sorry for herself, too.

"You should do all of that…" he said, his voice holding all the excitement for her. He wanted her to see that it was the simplest things in life that really mattered—and she had all that. He did not feel sorry for her at all.

"Maybe you could come with me."

Joshua felt his heart die a little. Because in truth, he never could. He glanced down at his plate, suddenly unable to taste his dinner. "Maybe," he sighed, with a small cheerless chuckle.

"I wish I could see your paintings. I'm so curious." She announced, changing the subject and effectively rousing Joshua's spirits again. "I bet they'd tell me everything there is to know about you." She said boldly. Joshua was very glad that Annie had a listening soul. Her whole body listened to him and he knew it was like having extra abilities even though she was blind. She knew when he was sad and she knew what to say to fix him.

And then Joshua had an idea. Annie could see his paintings because she remembered colors. He stood up and gently guided her to his little gallery. He shyly picked up her hand and guided it against one of creations. Annie had small hands. Soft, too, and trusting.

It made a funny feeling inside of him when he thought about how much Annie trusted him. It made Joshua want to take care of Annie always.

"Blue," he whispered, his rough voice even more husky. "Like the sky." Joshua watched Annie smile, seeing the colors inside her head. He wondered if Annie saw colors in her head the same way he saw them.

Then he guided her hand again over a different surface. "This…is green," he paused, thinking of the perfect color. "Like your eyes…"

"It's beautiful, Joshua," Annie smiled and Joshua just felt warm all over. He knew Annie would understand his paintings even though she could not see. She saw with her heart. Whenever Alec saw his paintings, he saw with his head. So did Max. They could not understand. But Annie…he shared this with her. She understood. That was everything to Joshua.

"Thank you," he said gruffly.

"No, thank you." She replied softly, her voice sweet and sincere.

And Joshua knew he loved her.

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The cell door opened with a clang and a loud squeak. Mule's eyes flew open, not even blinking as the light entered his cell. He was laying on a cold metallic bench in his holding cell. A momentary panic filled his heart, but he sat up calmly, awaiting his fate.

Ames White sauntered into the small cell. He pushed the door wider with his right hand, his face sincere. "Guess what, Mule," he said conversationally, eyeing the transgenic in an almost friendly manner. "You're gettin' outta here."

He finally pushed the door all the way open, stepping back out, enticing the innocent transgenic into the light of freedom. He watched with carefully veiled eyes as the transgenic finally blinked. Happily, innocently, trustingly. He almost smirked, but was careful not to. Manticore was stupid to keep these anomalies so…innocent. It was almost too easy to execute this plan. He smiled malevolently, knowing that Mule would never know the difference.

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**CHAPTER 13**

Logan paced his apartment anxiously, like a caged lion in a zoo. He had paged Max's beeper several times over the night. He hadn't slept a wink. He was still in a state of shocked disbelief that Max had actually ended things between them. Over the phone, no less. He was outraged.

He was also unbearably hurt.

He continued his pacing, the slight whir of his exoskeleton the only sound in his apartment. He paused and caught a glint of metal on his desk. His car keys.

Suddenly, he knew that he _had_ to go and see her. He had to make things right again. Making up his mind, he placed the phone back on its cradle, picked up his car keys and left the apartment.

As Max's apartment building came into view, Logan felt hope bubble in his chest. He knew that Max was purposely avoiding him because it was the easiest way to end things between them, like the popular adage, '_Out of sight, out of mind_.' However, Logan knew that they could still work things out. They were going to get through this virus-generated separation. He was never going to give up on them. Because when all was said and done, she was his soulmate.

He parked his car behind a large UNDER CONSTRUCTION sign that was partly covered by a black plastic tarp. Max lived in a luxury apartment building—or what was supposed to be one. The towers had never been finished, and had been abandoned after the Pulse. He got out of the car, and stopped short as he was greeted by a sight that knocked the wind out of him—literally like a fist in his gut: Max and Alec were coming out of the backdoor of the building. They were walking slowly, as if they were both deep in thought. But Logan could see that they were walking comfortably—companionably. At the end of the drive, they stopped and turned towards each other.

Logan couldn't hear what they were saying. He didn't really want to. He should leave. But he couldn't. He was rooted to the spot, unable to tear his stricken gaze from the couple.

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Alec followed Max out of her apartment building. It was still early, but he knew that it was the best time of day to make his escape back out into the world. He smirked slightly at that.

"You better lay low until this whole mistaken identity thing is sorted out," she said, swinging her hand out casually to pat his arm, making sure he was listening to her. Her voice was friendly, without their usual rancor. He never noticed before, but she actually had a sweet voice when she wasn't insulting him.

He walked companionably next to her, feeling strangely light-hearted. Maybe it was because they had actually gotten to know each other last night. Talked the way people were supposed to. No yelling—well, okay, a little bit, but all in good humor. No hitting—at least not the kind that generated real bruises. And no insults. They had spent all night just talking. And it had been good. Cathartic would be the word he would use, though he would never really admit he had needed catharsis.

"Yeah, maybe I'll crash at Joshua's. Think he'll mind?" he asked, his trademark smirk working is way onto his face as he turned back to face her.

She grinned ruefully at him. "Are ya kidding? He'll love it," she said. Then she crossed her arms awkwardly in front of her, not knowing how to say goodbye. This was strange—this _friendship_ with Alec. Because of last night, she might have to admit that he knew her more than anyone in the world had a right to. It was disconcerting, but also strangely relieving. She almost thought that it was unfortunate that it had to be Alec. But if she really thought about it…well, it could _only have been_ Alec. Only Alec would have understood everything. Especially about Ben.

If she was gonna be fair to him—and she was trying very hard to be—she would have to admit that he had been a very good friend last night. The best friend, in fact. It was an awkward thought considering who she was talking about. So she crossed her arms tighter in front of her.

Alec inhaled the morning air, and exhaled loudly. He was looking at Max in a whole new light. He saw the burdens that she carried on her small shoulders: the guilt over the destruction of Manticore that had caused hundreds, maybe thousands, of transgenics to lose their only home—the transgenics whose faces did not make it quite so easy for society to accept them; she also carried the burden of Ben's death around in her heart everyday. She was someone who was supposed to be a born killer instead she was always trying to do the right thing. Like saving his ass.

"Well, thanks for saving my butt…again" he said, looking down at her crossed arms, then into her eyes, his own twinkling with amusement at the fact that he was actually thanking her for her half-baked rescue attempt. He still didn't think the drainpipe idea had been the best—but he was out of prison, wasn't he?

Max nodded cautiously. She was slightly surprised that he had thanked her and she saw that this had cost him some of his cocky transgenic pride. He was actually sincere about it, too. So she smiled slightly at him. Guess their friendship was gonna survive for at least one more morning.

Then Alec looked intently at Max, his green eyes searching hers, "It must be hard, huh? Having me around. Some guy with Ben's face. Making you think things you would rather forget." Alec voiced out the thoughts, doubts really, that had plagued him since last night. He was not sure what kind of answer he was gonna get from Max, but it was worth saying out in the open. After last night, a lot of things were finally worth saying out loud.

He saw her eyes cloud over slightly, her face turning wistful and tender. He watched as her throat contracted, swallowing past an invisible lump. He longed to reach out and put a lock of her long brown hair behind one ear. He longed to comfort her the way she had let him last night. But it was morning now. Things were different.

Then her expression cleared and she looked him straight in the eyes. "Yeah," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe it's why I'm such a _bitch_ to you sometimes." Her voice wavered slightly as she realized how she had treated him all these months.

Max looked quickly away from him, surprised that she had admitted something so painful so readily. He really had a way with women. Even her. She ducked her head and smiled sadly at his chest, not able to look him in the eye just yet.

Somehow, they had put aside their vast differences and their bickering long enough to actually get to know each other. In many ways, she knew that he was by far, stronger than Ben ever was. Stronger than even she was. He had been in Manticore all those years: tortured for being a twin of an escapee; tortured for innocently falling in love. She had destroyed the only life he had ever known and inflicted the cold, cruel world at him. She would admit it…she had inflicted the world on him, not the other way around.

Yet, here he was, trying his best to make the most of his life. It was no wonder he had become the smart-aleck that she had first met who didn't want any emotional entanglements of any kind.

Alec was just as surprised by Max's honest answer. He had expected a slap on the head or a punch on the arm for bringing up Ben. He watched as a couple of emotions tried to flit over her features only to be blanked out and shut down. It was like watching a door close firmly over her emotions. But Alec understood the need. How many times had he done the same thing over the years? It was self-preservation. A defense mechanism all Manticore alumni had developed to stay alive.

He was using that same mechanism as he plastered a smirk on his face, not letting her see how much her answer had meant to him. He was relieved to know that she saw him as separate from his twin.

"Maybe," he agreed with her theory his tone lilting with amusement. Then he stepped closer to her and threw his arm playfully around her, holding her close to him, "Or maybe, it's because I'm such a pain in the ass sometimes."

She chuckled. "My week wouldn't be complete if I didn't have to bail you out of some half-assed scheme gone sideways."

He pulled her closer in an impromptu, genuine half-hug. It was the kind of physical and emotional proximity they were unaccustomed to, but it felt right. It was a gesture that capped the night that they had perfectly. "That's only because I can always count on you to lecture me and y'know, set me on the path to righteousness." he replied lightly. "Thanks again, Maxie."

He pulled away from her, and she smiled affectionately at him. "Be careful," she said clearly out loud.

Alec couldn't help but smile broadly at that statement. She hadn't mumbled it grudgingly, but had actually meant it. That could only mean that she was beginning to actually care about him. It made him feel surprisingly…good.

"Always," he assured her cockily smiling. He tapped her arm lightly with his fist in an awkward, but equally affectionate gesture. He wasn't really known to show affection, but the urge to touch her because he was feeling a surge of tenderness, was irresistible. She smiled back, her eyes warm. Then he turned and made his way to Joshua's pad, a genuine smile plastered on his handsome face.

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Logan felt like a vice was squeezing his heart. It hurt to breathe, too, since he had been holding his breath while watching Max and Alec together. _What was he doing here? Where did he come from? Why was he here? How long had he been here?_ The thoughts chased after each other in his mind, crashing to a halt at one answer: Alec had spent the night at Max's place. _With_ Max.

That was the one answer that fit all of the questions. He gritted his teeth as his shock was replaced by anger.

He didn't need to hear a word they were saying, everything about their interactions already spoke volumes. They were comfortable around each other, walking side by side, just slightly touching. When they faced each other, they were smiling. There was none of the antagonism and bickering he always associated with their relationship.

Max's face was relaxed and a slight smile never left her lips. It had been months since Logan had seen that kind of relaxed openness in her face. She was always pouting, frowning, or forcing an imitation of a smile around him these days.

But with Alec, she looked almost content.

Logan wanted to look away. But he couldn't move any part of his body. He was paralyzed in a way that was worse than what had happened to his legs. It was as if he had…died. His fingers clutched his keys in an ever tighter grip, the feeling of them biting into his palm painfully kept him reminded that he was still alive.

He swallowed dryly past a lump in his throat as he saw Alec put his arm around Max. Their faces were so close. Too close. He half-expected Max to toss Alec over her shoulder. Hit him. Kick him. Push him away. _Anything_…to keep the betrayal from being real.

But she didn't. She leant into his little hug instead, a small smile on her lips. That smile was tender. Affectionate. It spoke of a _relationship_ between the two transgenics. At that moment, Logan felt lost. Completely and utterly lost. Like a man who had had so much faith in something, only to realize everything he had ever believed in was a lie.

He watched as Alec touched Max's arm in a playful, _affectionate_ gesture. He looked on as she smiled indulgently at him. He continued to stare as she watched him walk away, that smile lingering on her lips.

_How long, Max? How long have I believed a lie?_ He thought sadly, knowing that he may never want to know the answer. She never noticed him, even as he finally felt himself move. Like a robot, he went through the motions of pushing his keys into the door, and opening it. He took on final look over his shoulder only to find her still standing there, her gaze steadily on the other man.

He should have known. He should have seen it coming from a mile away. How could he have been such a fool?

11


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** ** Here's the next installment of HG. It's shorter than the others, but I'm trying to rotate the updating of my fics. I just want to finish and I just really hate how I started so many others without finishing this. So, I'm sorry, and I'm trying my best. **

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CHAPTER 14

"Josh!" Alec shouted as he walked into Sandeman's old digs where Joshua was living. He wrinkled his nose slightly as his keen olfactory senses picked up the scent of ham hocks and turpentine. If he was gonna have to stay here, some changes seriously needed to be made about hygiene. But, first thing's first, Joshua had to know they were gonna be "lay-low" house buddies for a while.

Joshua glanced up towards the direction of the shout. He paused in his painting and looked frantically around. He had been painting a portrait of Annie. For some reason, he didn't want Alec to see it. He was not ready to share about Annie.

"Where you at Josh?" came the voice again. It sounded like Alec was roaming around the house looking for him. Joshua looked at the painting and back again towards the entrance of the library where he was. He had to think quickly…hide Annie!

"Josh? Josh, you around?" called Alec's voice playfully. He was much nearer now.

"Uh…" he muttered panicked, his eyes darting around the room, looking very guilty. Joshua grabbed the painting from the easel and held it desperately. Unable to find a good hiding place, he settled the painting against the couch, facing away from the door just as Alec sauntered confidently into the room.

"Hey, hey, roomie," greeted Alec as he walked towards his dog-friend. He swung his arms around and clapped them expectantly, a congenial smile on his face.

"Roomie?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I need to hang out for a little while until the heat's off my place." Alec explained to a baffled Joshua. He cocked his head to the side and smiled tightly. "It turns out my dead twin brother was a _psycho_ killer." He shoved his hands down his pockets and shrugged nonchalantly. "Go figure." Anyone related to him would have to be crazy.

He was still smiling, but his eyes had a distant look in them as he tried to assess how Joshua felt about that little tidbit of information. He remembered how he had tried to kill Joshua, too. Once upon a time. Hoped the big guy didn't put too much stock in his past actions.

"Oh." Was all Joshua said, feeling sorry for his X5 friend. But he understood. His own brother, Isaac, had been a killer, too.

"Yeah." Sighed Alec, his thoughts wandering briefly towards Max and what they had shared the night before. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two. They were friends, but it wasn't like they would ever break down in front of each other and reminisce about what it was like to have a murderous brother.

Then in line with his capricious personality, Alec clapped his hands eagerly to break the silence and looked expectantly around the decrepit house. "Where's your TV?"

"No TV." Replied Joshua. He looked around and saw the books on the shelf. "Uh," he mumbled, grabbing a hold of Alec's shoulders and pushing him aside. He took a book from the shelf and slapped it happily against his palm. He walked over to his young friend and tapped Alec's head with it. "Book. You can read?" he asked, a surprising note of sarcasm in his voice. Something he had picked up from Alec.

Alec's expression fell, and he looked like a mutinous teenager. "What are we, living in the Dark Ages?" He swiped the book aside and smiled mischievously at Joshua. "I need my _boob_ _tube_. Y'know? The hot medium? The vast wasteland?"

Joshua just looked at him, still baffled about what the big deal was with this boob tube.

Alec shrugged at Joshua's expression. "That's okay. Y'know what, I think I know where I can score one." He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and turned away from Joshua to dial one of his contacts. He walked over to the window and glanced out of it, mostly from habit. He checked up and down the streets for any suspicious activity as the phone on the other end of the line rang.

Alec turned away from the window and caught a glimpse of Joshua's newest painting. He immediately saw how Joshua tried to stand casually between him and the painting, effectively blocking his view. Alec glanced suspiciously up at Joshua's reluctance to share. That was no way to be around friends. So, he just stepped over the big guy to give this new painting a full once over. "What'chu got there? A new work? Joshua number 320?" he asked, waving his hand in the air as if seeing the title in lights on Broadway. Or some Art Gallery window. It didn't matter as long as it raked in the dough.

He cocked his eyebrows in appreciation. It wasn't like all of Joshua's other paintings, so of course, Alec's catlike curiosity was piqued.

"Uh…" then Joshua sighed. This was Alec. No use in hiding it from Alec. "Annie."

"Annie." Alec repeated, saying the name as if he were tasting it for the first time. He noticed Joshua's obvious discomfort. He hung up his phone—his vast wasteland could wait a moment longer—this was more…interesting. "Who _exactly_ is _Annie_?"

"The girl that lives down the street." Joshua mumbled, slightly guiltily.

Alec almost groaned as he understood the implications of what Joshua was saying. He closed his eyes in a studied look of a conscience attack. He couldn't believe he was about to get all Max-like and deliver a lecture to his buddy. He scrunched up his face and scratched his head uncomfortably with the antenna of his cellphone. "Listen Josh," he started, his tone as placating as he could. This was hard. It was like having to tell a kid that he couldn't have his candy because it was bad for his teeth.

"Alec," interrupted Joshua, "She _can't_ _see_. No running. No screaming." There was a note of defensiveness in the dog-man's voice that made Alec flinch slightly.

Alec still knew that it wasn't a good idea. First of all, a blind girl and a dog-boy? Not exactly the most comfortable of arrangements if you asked him. And secondly…"Oh boy," he sighed. He slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket, expecting a long conversation. "I think we better have a little talk about your little friend, Annie."

"I don't wanna have a little talk!" exclaimed Joshua, his voice uncharacteristically harsh. He nudged Alec away from Annie's portrait and pulled it to him. "I _know_ I have to lay low." He said, his voice impatient. He glanced at his X5 friend over his shoulder as he walked away with Annie's portrait to finish it. "I'm tired of laying low, Alec."

Alec just stood there, quiet for once, letting Joshua go, and dropping the subject. He found himself in the uncomfortable position of walking the thin line between understanding how Joshua felt about laying low and being lonely, and knowing the reality of what lay in store for Joshua and his little friend, Annie.

He had said it to Max. And one day, he'd have to say it to Joshua. They didn't belong with people like Logan and Annie. Why was he the only one who seemed to accept and understand that?

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It was a small side street. But it had the three criteria that Ames White was looking for. It dead ended at a Sector Checkpoint. There were sector guards and hover drones. And best of all, there were plenty of witnesses in the crowd of people loitering about. It was perfect.

He slid his sleek sedan to a stop a few feet away from the Sector gates. He glanced over his shoulder, throwing an arm over the passenger seat. He looked down at the body in the back of his car. "Mule," he called out.

The transgenic had been laying low on the backseat. It wouldn't have done White any good if anyone he knew had spotted him aiding this transgenic prisoner. Now Mule sat up and glanced fearfully around. White looked out the back window, and Mule followed his gaze. "Now you see that fence? All you have to do is get over it and you'll be safe."

"Okay."

"But you have to watch out for enemy _soldiers_," continued White. He had to make this convincing after all. Not that it was hard work. The damned Transgenic was trusting him already. "Because if they see you, they _will_ try and kill you." He emphasized the threat to the transgenic, knowing it would stay with him. Manticore had taught its creations how to react to threats.

He saw Mule turn around and look at him slightly fearfully. But he nodded his head, understanding the nature of the threat.

"They'll be wearing helmets, carrying guns, and they'll have badges that say Sector Police." White said, his voice softening a little, as if sharing a piece of confidential information with Mule.

"Sector Police." Confirmed Mule.

"That's right."

Mule looked around, assessing the area surrounding the fence. Satisfied at not seeing any of the Sector Police he nodded to himself.

"Good luck." Said White, his voice sincere.

Mule turned around fully to look at the man who was in the front seat. He didn't know why, but he was grateful that he had passed the test that White had given him. He was deeply moved by this act of kindness—the first that he had ever encountered with a human before. "Thank you." Said Mule, his eyes boring into White's, "For everything."

Then with a small nod and a grateful smile, he opened the car door. He pulled on his hood and shuffled out.

White turned to face forward, there was a flicker of emotion marring his features before he compressed his lips and looked expectantly up at his rearview mirror.

Mule walked cautiously towards the sector gate. He was all too aware of the looks that people were giving him.

"_Man that's freaky!"_

"_Whoa!"_

"_Something's going on…"_

He heard the hushed voices—they were always following him.He hunched over a little more and looked down at the ground. He was almost to the fence—almost to safety. Not seeing any of the enemy soldiers, he pulled out one of the corners of the sector fence. It came off its metal hinges easily in his hands, but an alarm began to blare.

He looked up in panic seeing the red flashing lights go off, hearing the incessant sound of the alarm. He had to hurry! He quickly slipped through the opening he had made, aware of the crowd that had gathered behind him.

He was on the other side! He was safe.

Suddenly, a hover drone flew over him, the camera mounted on top aiming for him.

"You have violated Check Point security. Stay where you are!"

Mule flinched. What was going on? He had crossed the fence. He was supposed to be safe! He looked around in fear and apprehension. Two black sector police vehicles arrived, effectively blocking him from escape.

"FREEZE!"

Guns were pointed at him. Mule looked around in panic, fear in his dark eyes.

"On your knees, Freak!"

"On the ground NOW!"

The voices were surrounding him. Cruel, angry voices like the guards from Manticore. The Sector Police—the enemy—was advancing on him, crowding him. Circling him like prey. He was trapped. Dread filled him as he realized that he would not be able to just run and hide.

A sharp pain jolted him as one officer hit him with his nightstick. Mule flinched but didn't fall over. Another officer joined in beating him. They hit him over and over until he fell to his knees. Mule never made a sound. He was used to this from Manticore. Suddenly, he was filled with a quiet anger. He was out of Manticore now, he was supposed to be free!

A knee hit him in the stomach. More blows rained on his back and sides.

Without another thought, Mule fought back. He grabbed the nearest police officer and flung him away. The man flew against the sector fence, crashing against it and slumping forward unconscious. Mule's anger gave him strength. He seized the other enemy soldier and threw him away from himself. The officer hurtled several feet through the air before colliding against a far wall, the impact knocking the man unconscious.

There was a moment of stunned silence from the rest of the Sector Police and the spectators from the other side of the fence.

Mule was no longer thinking straight. He just knew that he was hurt. He was scared. And he needed a way out. He advanced on the next enemy soldier who took a step back from him. Mule didn't care if he was seen as a monster now. He just wanted to leave.

The man raised his weapon, but Mule continued onwards.

The Sector cop pulled the trigger. Mule staggered back from the impact of the bullet. He heard the several screams as the onlookers scrambled away from the gunfire. The pain seared through Mule, burning his shoulder. He _had_ to get out of here. He took a faltering step forward but another bullet embedded itself in him and stumbled back. It _hurt_ but he had to escape. He tried to take another step.

Four more shots rang in the air from the enemy soldiers. Each bullet sent him stumbling, until finally the fiery pain became too much. He lurched forward and fell heavily onto the ground. He felt the roughness of the concrete against his face. Felt the hope drain from him as his vision dimmed. At least he didn't have to run and hide anymore. At least it didn't hurt anymore.

White smiled grimly at the scene, his eyes locked on the side mirror of his vehicle. He had seen everything and was satisfied with the events. His eyes shifted slightly to look at the reflection of the hoverdrone. Yes, everything was going just as planned.

He had painstakingly lined the dominoes, and now he had pushed the first of the row. All he had to do now, was sit back and watch everything fall down. _Perfect_.

With another smug smile, he left the scene, his car easing between the horrified onlookers.

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	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** ** Here's the next installment of HG. I loved the Annie-Josh-Alec moment and hope I did it justice. I also added a small scene between Max and Alec before her little chat with Joshua. It's like a mini (really mini) missing scene. Hahaha.**

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**CHAPTER 15**

Loud rap music was blaring loudly into the whole room. Alec was slouched inelegantly on one of the recliner seats in Joshua's digs, his green eyes glued to the TV screen and the kaleidoscope of flashing colors from the music video. He nodded his head along to the beat, using his pork rind snack as an imaginary drumstick. The bright colors, the gaudy costumes, the incoherent words were irrationally entertaining to the captivated transgenic. Ahh…the vast wasteland where his mind could remain pleasantly blank but vastly amused. After all those years of sparseness, discipline and structure, watching something as extravagantly useless as an over-budget music videos was sheer entertainment.

"Alec, your boob tube is too loud," complained Joshua, who was huddled on the other side of the room trying to read.

"It's the only way to enjoy it," replied Alec, his eyes never leaving the brightly colored screen. "Come over and have a look."

Joshua frowned briefly, but tossed his book down, rolled off his place in the library and crawled over to watch the boob tube over Alec's shoulder. It was loud. It was a little scary. But…strangely entertaining. He could feel himself be pulled into the vast wasteland, unable to take his eyes off the screen. So many colors and movements all at once. It reminded him of, "Tricks and treats," he said out loud, cocking his head to the side.

Alec nodded slightly. "Welcome to the world of attention deficit," he smiled appreciatively at the _I'm a Freak_ music video.

Suddenly, the video was cut off by a KIPH Special News Bulletin. A middle-aged newscaster appeared, his face grim. "_A hoverdrone recorded this shocking footage. Authorities are refusing to comment on the **nature** of the assailant_."

Alec's smile died away as he watched in horror. A transgenic, without a doubt, was throwing Sector Police into the air. _"…but as you can see for yourself, the attacker has what can only be described as superhuman strength…"_ continued the reporter.

Green eyes glued to the screen for entirely different reasons as before, Alec assessed the situation. "This is bad," he mumbled, knowing that was an understatement.

"…_something that was described to us by witnesses as a mutant…_"

"This is so, so very bad," whispered Alec. Joshua could only look on, his blue eyes shifting from his X5 friend, who was looking very un-Alec-like with concern, and the horrible scene on the boob tube.

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Max watched the small screen in Jam Pony, transfixed with horror, as she saw the same footage that Alec was watching. She let her eyes wander over the stunned expressions of her co-workers, hoping that her face merely reflected the same. She couldn't afford to go ballistic at the moment.

But she very nearly did when the reporter mentioned Manticore.

"…_authorities have denied all knowledge of Manticore, but_…"

Sketchy threw a look of disbelief at Max and Original Cindy as the camera panned back towards the transgenic again. "That's the thing I saw in the sewers last week,"

Max stood rigidly beside Normal, who was equally riveted by the scene in front of them. "Whoa, Nellie! Look at that sucker," he whispered. Max could practically feel the horror and disgust radiating off her boss. In fact, it was pretty much coming off of everyone in the break-room staring at the screen.

She looked at O.C., seeing the alarm in her best friend's eyes. _This is bad. This is so, so very bad._

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Logan turned on the TV and was about to walk away to make a cup of coffee when he heard the newscaster's distressed voice.

"…_one of the officers was seriously injured before other opened fire…some eyewitnesses claim that it took police six shots…"_

Logan spun around and watched in growing dismay at the implications of what this news report meant for all the transgenics. Especially for, "Max," he whispered, his mind immediately trying to figure out how she would be affected by the events that had transpired. Pulling the phone off the cradle, he dialed her pager number. He had to talk to her, in case she needed him.

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Alec shrugged quickly into his leather jacket. He was going to see Max, make sure she was okay. Well, make sure she wasn't freaking out and doing something heroically drastic, actually. Knowing her, she would either be blazing mad, or irrationally emotional about the scene. Who could blame her? He was actually scared, too. And if _he_ was scared, who knew what Max was feeling? She was as unpredictable as a firecracker. He wanted to be around to take care of her and douse the fire. Strange, how she was the first thing he thought of.

"Lay low, Alec," whispered Joshua, his tone concerned.

"'Lay low'? Is that all you have to say to me, Josh?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically abrupt towards his friend. Okay, he was more than a little concerned. More than a little alarmed.

Suddenly, there was a knocking on the door.

Both Alec and Joshua froze for a second, their eyes flying towards the door.

"Joshua? It's me, Annie!" came the voice from the door.

Joshua was immediately on his feet, rushing to the door. Alec grabbed his friend fiercely, holding the dog-man back. "Send her away." He whispered urgently. Joshua tried to pull away, but Alec held on fast, his fingers digging into his friend's arm. He hadn't wanted this conversation to happen too soon, but now there was no choice.

"You can't be with her now. All right? You see that? You see what's going on?" he asked, pointing furiously at the TV screen, where the video of the transgenic throwing off the police was being replayed over and over.

But Joshua wasn't listening to him, he could see it in Joshua's carefully blank expression. But he could read the denial in the dog-man's eyes. Joshua tried to pull away from him, "But, Alec, she's—" he tried to reason.

Alec gripped his friend harder, pulling him closer so that he could look him in the eye. "Send her away, Josh," he said, enunciating each word carefully. "Let her go before she falls in love with you. Before she wants you to meet her family. Before you get yourself killed. Before you get _HER_ killed." He finished, his voice low, menacing, but somehow laced with pain.

It was the pain that finally caught Joshua's attention. Alec was looking at him with green eyes filled with anger and pain, asking him to try to understand. Joshua suddenly understood that Alec could only talk about this…and _feel_ like this from experience.

"Send her away." Alec said, one more time, seeing Joshua's stricken look of understanding. Alec felt like the villain in one of those movies he was always watching. He was breaking his friend's heart—but he was only doing it to protect him. Right?

He watched with a tightening heart as Joshua walked towards the door, his footsteps heavy.

Alec saw Annie for the first time as Joshua opened the door. He saw the sheer innocence and loveliness of the blind girl, and he knew that he had done the right thing.

"Billie and I were gonna go walk to the store. Thought maybe you'd like to come." She said, her voice light and open as her invitation.

"Uh…" Joshua shuffled his feet and played with the hem of his shirt. How was he going to do this? "Annie…"

Perceptive as ever, Annie tilted her head to the side, correctly interpreting the low pitch of Joshua's voice. "What's wrong?"

"The news…" said Joshua, still searching for a way to end things without hurting her.

"What news?" she asked, concerned. What hurt Joshua the most was that she was concerned for him, not for herself. Joshua understood Alec's point. She was a good person. She had to stay safe—and safe meant away from him. He had to be away from her life. "News from back home. I have to go." He said abruptly.

He saw her fight to keep the pain and hurt from her face. But even her sightless eyes were still windows to her soul. He could see her hurt. "When?" she asked.

"Today."

Joshua couldn't look at her anymore. He stared off into a distant spot somewhere over her head. He heard her sniffle and he felt a painful stab in his heart knowing he had caused it. "I'll miss you." She whispered brokenly, still trying to smile valiantly. It was no wonder he had fallen in love with her.

"I'll miss you, too." He said, knowing that it was the most honest thing he could say to her at the moment. The only honest thing he could say to her. "Good-bye, Annie,"

She turned away to leave, and he stepped back, ready to close the door. But she turned back, quickly. "Joshua!" she called out. "Can you do something for me?"

He stayed silent, but didn't close the door, knowing that she knew he was still standing there. He didn't know what to say, didn't know what else he could do for her.

"I just…I wanna remember you," she said. Then she raised her hand, blindly stretching out towards him, her palm facing him, her fingers reaching for him.

He understood. And he almost died knowing that she would never really know him. He turned to look over his shoulder, seeing that Alec was still there. He gave his friend a beseeching look.

Alec saw Annie's outstretched hand, Joshua's pleading look, and he knew that he couldn't say no. He swallowed briefly but gave a small nod to Joshua. It was the least he could do for his friend.

He tread quietly over to where Joshua was, careful not to alert the blind girl that there were two of them standing by the door.

He stood in front of Annie, uncomfortable and…strangely afraid. What would a blind girl see in him? Her fingers tentatively touched his leather clad chest and climbed up to his cheek. He held still, almost not breathing. Her fingers trailed up to his ear, wandering over to his brow, touching his nose, his lips.

He felt himself tremble slightly. She was touching him with such…_love_.

He knew he wasn't supposed to feel like this. As her fingers splayed lovingly over his features, he couldn't help but feel jealous. No one had ever touched him with love before. He had been with several women, but they had always touched him with lust and passion. Rachel had touched Simon Lehane in love. But no one, had ever touched _him_.

And even now, this love was for Joshua.

He couldn't even look his friend in the eye now, because he was stealing something infinitely precious from his Joshua. But he couldn't feel guilty about it either, because he still reveled in Annie's soft caresses.

Joshua watched silently, tears welling in his blue eyes as Alec accepted Annie's love. _If only_… But it wasn't meant to be. It could never be, he understood now. He didn't even have the courage to let her know who he really was. He was bound by his fate, to forever sit in the sidelines as others found love and companionship.

As others could be touched the way Annie was touching Alec.

He was jealous, but he couldn't be angry. It was for the best. He understood now. But it still hurt.

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"_You can see it right there…_" said a newscaster, as the camera zoomed in towards the prone figure of the dead transgenic. The captivated audience in Jam Pony hadn't moved since the news broke out on the screen. "…_the barcode. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the tattoos were used to keep track of the soldiers that were involved in the program_."

Max was fighting to contain herself. It would serve no purpose if she suddenly reacted too strongly to the news. But she felt like a coiled spring, the tension tightly contained, but barely.

Suddenly, her pager went off again, startling her. It was hooked to her sleeve and she glanced impatiently at it. Logan had been paging her incessantly all morning. She knew that he was only trying to show her his support, but she really couldn't face him at the moment. In all honesty, she didn't need him at the moment.

But, couldn't he at least get the message and stop after the fifth attempt and she still hadn't called him back?

But the number flashing on it wasn't Logan's, however, but Alec's. Alarm bells went off in her head. She had hoped that both Alec and Joshua weren't yet aware of what was happening, but she should have known it was too much to hope that Alec hadn't scored a TV yet.

She glanced at O.C., and mouthed _Alec_ before leaving to get to the payphone.

Alec was pacing like a caged tiger inside the house. He answered his phone on the first ring. "Hi. Thanks for hitting me back," he said, knowing without a doubt that it was Max on the other end.

"I take it you've seen the news," she said. Her voice was uncharacteristically soft and concerned. She sounded young and scared, and Alec knew that she was taking this hard. But Max wasn't the one who needed the most comforting at the moment. His eyes wandered over to Joshua's hunched figure.

"Yeah, but that's not why I'm calling," he sighed. "I need you to get over here."

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Max arrived at Sandeman's house in record time. She was greeted at the door by Alec, who was looking slightly disturbed. Their eyes locked, a moment of understanding passing between them, an unspoken sharing of concern and disbelief at the events of the morning.

"What happened?" she asked, trying to push past him to see Joshua.

He grabbed her arm. "Wait." He said. "Let me fill you in."

He told her about Annie and about her visit this morning. He told her about what he said to Joshua. She glared at him angrily when she heard about his "we don't belong with them" speech, but held her silence. He was right. Had been right all along. But still, he could have been a little nicer about it.

"…and now this." he said, raking a hand through his hair, his other hand gesturing helplessly towards the library where Joshua apparently was. Max's indignation at him dissolved as she realized that he really was concerned about their friend. "I'm no good at this, Max. I don't know what to say to the big guy." He admitted.

She took his hand and squeezed it briefly. He had no idea how good he was at being a friend. She remembered how he had listened without judgment to her story. It was going to be a while before Alec would consider himself a good friend to anyone, just like she did. So, she turned and went into the library to see Joshua.

They sat in silence for a while, and at last, Max took Joshua's large hand in hers. "I know you're sad, but you did the right thing." She whispered, her voice full of conviction.

"Remember we talked about how we're not like other people and we need to stick together? Right now that's more important than ever." She continued, reaching out to stroke his long hair. Joshua was fidgeting with a necklace and sniffling like a child. He raised sad blue eyes at Max.

"Annie's not like other people," he said. "She's different…"

Max tensed slightly, knowing that she had to squash what little hope Joshua was feeing. "But she's not like us, either," she cut him off, her voice more curt than she had intended. "When you care about someone you have to do what's best for them even if it hurts."

Joshua looked slightly taken aback by her tone and vehemence. Max was instantly contrite; she was taking out her frustration about Logan on Joshua, and it wasn't fair. Her expression gentled, and she saw that Joshua calmed down as well. They shared small sad smiles.

Finally, Joshua sighed and gripped his necklace harder. "Love sucks."

He released the pendant and it fell against his black sweater. Max glanced briefly at it and froze. It was a pendant engraved with two snakes intertwined with each other. Like the staff of Caduceus.

"Joshua, where did you get this?" she asked urgently.

"Father gave it to me," he replied.

Max took off her bike gloves, her mind reeling with the revelation. She took the pendant and laid it on her palm, next to her fading scar. They were identical.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I am not making any profit out of this and am using it purely for amusement. The scenes are taken completely out of an episode of Dark Angel (which belongs to Fox, Cameron and Eglee), and most of the dialogue as well.

**A/N:** The parts that are mine are the "thoughts" behind the scenes and some additional dialogue. This is my version of Hello, Goodbye—one of my favorite DA episodes. It's a step into AU, but that's really what fanfics are, aren't they?

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**CHAPTER 16**

Max had been waiting outside Logan's penthouse for hours now. Her neck ached from craning her head to look up to the very top of Fogle Towers. Her enhanced vision told her that there had been no movement in the apartments for the last four hours. No lights were on, either. Not even the ever-present blue-white glow of the computer screen lit the place.

She sighed. She wished there was someone else she trusted enough to go to with the new information she had. But the sad truth was, she didn't know anyone else who cared enough and had the resources to look into the matter. At this point, maybe Logan didn't even care anymore. She _had_ broken up with him over the phone recently. She no longer had any right to expect anything from him.

She glanced at her pager and saw that it was already well-past midnight. He obviously wasn't home. It was time to go up there and do her sneak and creep routine.

Picking the lock, she let herself into his penthouse. She took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of the room. She crept noiselessly towards the little nook in his apartment that served as Eyes Only headquarters. She found the whiteboard that he had told her about yesterday, when he'd tried so hard to detract her from breaking things off with him.

He was right, it was just like the widescreen version of his cocktail napkin from Crash, complete with the two parallel columns that represented Manticore and the Breeding Cult. She took Joshua's necklace out of her pocket and carefully hung the pendant over the board. Picking up a marker, she drew a circle around the pendant, making sure Logan wouldn't miss it. Then she drew connecting arrows between the words 'Manticore' and the 'Breeding Cult'.

The message was unmistakable. There was a connection and Joshua's pendant was somehow the key.

Just as she dropped the marker back into the tray, all the lights and computer equipment flickered to life. Max spun around quickly, here eyes wide, like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Hi, there!" called Logan with false joviality. He had been sitting in the dark all along, his hand still on the remote control that had switched everything on all at once.

Max stared warily at him. He was obviously drunk, a bottle of whiskey stood almost empty on the table next to his chair. There was a glazed, slightly crazed look in his eyes, too.

"The lights were out." She explained. "I didn't know you were home."

Logan chuckled humorlessly. "'Cause if you did, you wouldn't have come, huh?"

Max frowned at his slurred words, at the self-deprecating smile on his face, at the accusation in his voice. She closed her eyes briefly, as if the action could block away the pain that was emanating from him and seeping into her. "I found this around Joshua's neck. He said Father gave it to him. It's the same symbol the breeding cult uses." She said slowly, carefully avoiding his question and changing the subject onto neutral ground.

"So Sandeman is one of White's cult loonies, huh?" Logan smirked, an ugly baring of his teeth. "Woo-hoo!" he cried, his tone pitched crazily in mock celebration. He took the bottle of whiskey and clumsily poured himself another drink. He knew exactly what she was doing. Avoiding the subject. Running away from having to deal with the repercussions of her actions. So typically Max. Except that, he never thought she'd do that to him.

Max couldn't watch Logan do this to himself. She had never seen him like this before. Self-destructive and unmotivated. "Logan, there's a connection between the breeding cult and Manticore."

Logan stood up and walked towards Max, his exoskeleton whirring loudly in the tense silence of the room. "Maybe I oughta do an Eyes Only hack, huh?" he asked, knowing that it was the only reason Max was here in his penthouse right now. Because he was Eyes Only. Not because he was Logan Cale, the man deeply in love with her. But because he was Eyes Only, and she needed to use him for that.

She didn't need him for anything else any more.

He smiled angrily at her. Just like she didn't need him earlier today, when Manticore had been exposed to the world on the news. "I mean, this is a _big_ news day. In case you hadn't noticed, I tried paging you. Wanted to talk to you, but, uh...guess you were busy."

Max didn't want to see anymore, or listen to his stabbing, accusatory words anymore. He was being deliberately nasty. "I'm going. I just thought you wanted to know."

She turned around to leave, but in a few long strides, Logan cut her off, standing directly in her path. Max had no choice but to stop abruptly, afraid that she might touch him accidentally. She glared at him, baffled at his anger. She tried to get past him, but he just stood in front of her again.

"Cut it out." She whispered a little desperately.

"I could keep you here all night." He said, his tone darkly amused, as if the thought just occurred to him—as if they were playing some sort of fun game.

"Come on, Logan." She pleaded for him to drop the subject, to stop acting so...crazy.

"At least 'til I drop dead." He continued in that deceptively conversational tone, as if he didn't even hear her. He wanted answers, and he was going to get them tonight.

Max just shook her head, not understanding the severity of his reaction. He'd never been this…manic…about any of the other times they'd broken up. He _knew_ that this was for the best! She had nothing else to say to him. She steeled herself against feeling anything for him. Against falling back into that slump that was their on-again, off-again relationship.

"I've said everything I needed to say." She whispered softly, her tone ringing with finality.

Logan shook his head. "I don't think so. I think there's something else."

Max didn't know what the hell he was getting at. What else was there? "Logan..." she started.

But he cut her off, his voice angry, cold, accusing, and cruel. "Or is it some_one_ else?"

Max's eyes flew up to meet his blue ones directly. "What?"

Logan almost lost his nerve. There really was a look of such confusion and utter disbelief on her face. Maybe, he was wrong. Maybe…but, what he had seen yesterday morning was damning enough evidence. Maybe she was pretending…she had, after all, been bred to be a pathological liar, right? "I needed to talk to you, so I came by your apartment...and I saw _him_ leaving." He explained, a bitter edge creeping into his voice at the thought of Alec and Max together.

He waited for Max to say something…_anything_, but she just stood there her face a mask of confusion. The silence between them stretched, her expression remained the same. Logan began to have doubts about his own accusations. He peered into her clouded dark brown eyes, hoping to see the truth in them. "I--I mean, if I've got it wrong, just say so." _Please say so, Max. Please let it be wrong. Let me be wrong about all of this… _

Max was reeling from the implications of what Logan was saying. He was acting this way because he thought she and _Alec _had spent the night. He thought that they were together behind his back. _Why would he possibly think that I would…_ she broke her train of thought as she gazed thoughtfully into his anguished eyes.

"Tell me it's not true." He all but begged her.

And Max knew that this was how it had to end. "I can't," she whispered, her voice ringing with the truth. She really couldn't. It was the only way she could effectively destroy that need and that love he had for her. She knew that she couldn't give him any more reasons to hope. Alec had been right all along. She and Logan didn't belong together. "It's over. We're done. Get used to it."

She looked at him through a mask of coldness, even when heartbreak and pain threatened to break through the walls of her heart. Turning away, she walked around him, and out the door.

_It's over. We're done. Get used to it._ Her words hung in the air long after she had gone. Logan just stood there paralyzed by a series of emotions that warred for domination inside of him. The pain, anger, disbelief, pain, pain, pain…She was gone. They were over before they had even had the chance to begin.

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Max sat atop the Space Needle, letting the cold wind blow onto her face and numb her pain. There was something irrevocably final about how things ended between her and Logan. It was the finality of destruction. That's what it was.

The trust, friendship and respect that had always marked their relationship were effectively in ruins around her feet. There was no going back from that. There was no hope in all that destruction.

It was over. They were done. She had to get used to it.

She heard his steps up the stairs first. The footsteps were too light and swift to be Logan. She felt his presence next, but didn't turn around.

"Hey, Max. Thought I'd find you here." Greeted Alec, sauntering down towards the edge of the Space Needle where she sat hugging her knees to her chest.

"I come here to be alone." She whispered into the night air, but her voice lacked the usual rancor. Alec had known where she was. Alec had always known her, for some reason. Yet, he had never imposed himself on her. It was strange how he had just allowed himself to be in the periphery of her life, but had somehow still been integral in it.

Alec gauged Max's mood tonight. Melancholy. Sad. Broken. Scared. "Yeah, I know, but considering everything that went down today, I figured we could both use a friend right now." He sighed lightly, hoping she would let him get closer to her tonight. Sometimes, the periphery was all well and good when things were easy and you could just skate through life without worries.

But sometimes, people, even transgenics, needed someone to hold on to when skating through life on a bumpy road.

Max turned her head and looked up at him briefly, his hands in his pocket, his shoulders hunched in that way that told her he was unsure of something. Unsure of her. "Sit down." she said, more of an order than an invitation.

Alec sat down, and bent his legs in front of him, putting his hands together to warm them. He was relieved that she had let him be here for her. Two nights in a row. He glanced over at Max and felt the weight of her thoughts.

"So, you got any deep thoughts you want to share? Any, uh, profound realizations about life?" he asked, instinctively filling the need to lighten the mood, to ease the darkness.

Max pursed her lips but refused to be lightened. Joshua had been right. "Yeah. Love sucks."

Alec's lips quirked at the blunt statement. But it was true. He had learned it the hard way. Joshua was suffering now. And apparently, so was Max. He sighed deeply and stared out into the city lights. _Yeah…love sucks_…especially when he had no one to love.

They both sat there through the night, together, but alone in their own thoughts.

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A/N2: It's a short chapter, but those were the last two scenes of the episode. I was going to add in a missing scene, but in the end, I decided to stick to canon. I'll do a missing scene, but make it a part of the Missing Scene series that I'm working on, instead. I hope you've all enjoyed this little look into the characters' heads.

6


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